Life at the Tower AUs
by Singer of Water
Summary: For any of you who have read my oneshot series Life at the Tower this is a new series just for AUs. This is a series all about the Avengers and my OCs the Madison twins. Bucky/OC and a bunch of other pairings like Steve/Sharon, Clintasha, and Pepperony. I hope you enjoy this series.
1. Chapter 1

Bucky sighed as he walked down the hall. He ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes hoping to rest them for a few seconds. He had just gotten out of a meeting with the king of England, Tony Stark. The two were discussing trades between their two countries for what felt like hours. Now Stark had left to wander the castle as he pleased and Bucky was on his way to somewhere. Anywhere. He just needed to get away from all the duties he had at the moment.

"Long meeting?"

Bucky looked up and smiled as his friend, Steve, walked up to him. The knight fell into step with the prince as they continued down the hall.

"Hey, Steve," Bucky greeted. "How is training the new guards?"

"Not too bad. They're doing well. I think you'd like Dugan. You two seem like you'd get along."

The prince laughed. "Well I'll make sure to meet him and the others soon."

"How was the meeting with Stark?" the knight inquired.

"It was eventful," Bucky said with a shrug. "He's agreed to trade with Italy so we now will receive England's steel and he will receive Italy's lumber."

"That's good to hear!" Steve said, a big smile on his face. "I told you, you don't need to worry about ruling the country. You're doing just fine."

"Thanks, Steve, I-"

Bucky was interrupted as he ran into someone. He heard a soft "oof" and heard someone falling to the ground. He looked down to quickly help the person up and smiled when he saw who it was. He could already feel the toothy grin Steve was giving him over his shoulder. He rolled his eyes at his best friend before turning back to the person on the ground.

"Watch where you're going," they said.

Bucky smirked as he watched the blonde woman collect herself off the floor. He held out a hand waiting for her to see who she was talking to. It was going to be interesting to see her reaction.

The blonde woman lifted her head and her eyes grew the size of saucers. "Oh my god. Prince James, I am so sorry. I didn't know it was you!" she sputtered, her cheeks growing red.

The prince cringed at the use of his real name. He hated it. It sounded too formal. The only time anyone ever called him that was when he was meeting with nobles of his country or other countries. Any other time he preferred his nickname: Bucky.

He smiled at the woman and held his hand out further for her to take. "Don't worry about it, Tracey," he said, helping her to her feet. "And please, call me Bucky. I'm begging you."

Tracey smirked at the prince, giggling lightly. "The prince is begging? I don't think I've ever heard of such a thing."

"It is when it's concerning my name. I hate James. Too formal for my liking," he said, grinning at her as she laughed.

"I have to get back to the new guards," Steve spoke up, a smirk on his face as his eyes flickered between the prince and the servant. "I will see you later, Bucky. Good to see you again, Tracey."

"Bye, Steve!" Tracey said, waving to the knight as he walked down the hall. She turned back to the prince and felt her face heat up when she saw him staring at her. She tried her best to hide the blush on her cheeks and the smile on her face by tilting her head down, but she knew that he had probably seen her face already. She cleared her throat as she tried to compose herself. "I um…I have to get back to work. I'll uh see you later, your Highness." She curtsied to him and made her leave only to feel a hand on hers. She turned around and stared at the prince with curious eyes.

Bucky smiled at her, staring into her brown eyes. They were beautiful. She was beautiful. Ever since she joined the other servants at the castle the whole atmosphere seemed to lighten up. The castle seemed brighter with her around. He enjoyed talking with her whenever he had the chance and he loved to see her face light up when she smiled. It made her even more beautiful.

He stood up straighter and continued to hold her hand. It was surprisingly soft for a servant's hand. How she accomplished that he would never know. He smiled at her. "Tracey, I was wondering if you'd like to go for a walk with me."

"With you?" Tracey said, her face showing shock.

The prince of Italy wanted to go for a walk with her? A servant? Had she done something wrong and he was telling her was being released from the castle? No that couldn't be it. She always made sure to get her work done. It was one of the reasons she had a horrible sleeping schedule.

"Yes. I was planning on going to the gardens and now that you're here I was curious if you wanted to join me," he said, still smiling at her. "You don't have to if you don't want to. Honestly, you're not being forced to go just because I'm the prince. It's your choice." _Please say yes. _he chanted in his mind.

Tracey pursed her lips trying to suppress the smile growing on her face. She nodded, seeing as her attempt to hide the smile failed. "I'd love to."

Bucky's face lit up. "Great!" She said yes!

"But what about my work?" the servant questioned, brow scrunching up in concern.

The prince smiled lightly and lifted her hand up, placing a kiss on the back of it. "Don't worry about that. Someone else can get it." He stood up and held arm out to her and began walking once she looped it through. He could see the pink dusting her cheeks again and her chewing her cheek in nervousness. "You can relax. You won't get in trouble if you're with me."

"Well I'm glad to hear that the prince can get me out of work. Maybe I should spend more time with you," she said, smirking at him.

The prince winked, chuckling as her face grew red. He liked the sound of that. He wanted to spend more time with Tracey. She was definitely wanted to spend more time with her. She was the most interesting and beautiful girl in the court, even if she wasn't in the court. If he could, he'd have her hand. Unfortunately he had to marry a noble. But he wasn't engaged to anyone yet. Maybe he could change the law. There had to be a way. There was her brother. He was one of Stark's nights. His best knight to be exact. The sister of the King of England's best knight had to count, right? He shook his head. It didn't matter to him what she was, he liked her for her, not her position. But it would make it easier to ask for her hand. The court wouldn't have a heart attack if he just married a servant. Dear god! He needed to stop overthinking this. He cared for her and would have her hand if she accepted.

He smiled down at her. "I wouldn't mind the idea of spending more time with you," smiling even more as her smile brightened.

**Thank you to the anon who sent in my first AU prompt! I was actually really excited when I saw your prompt. My friend just got me into Reign and I was excited to write Bucky and Tracey in a prince and servant AU. I tried to stick with what I know of Reign and I hope it's as accurate as it could be. Let me know what you guys think!**

**If you'd like to ask the Avengers, Madison twins, and anyone else in the tower any questions, feel free to leave a message on my tumblr. If you have a prompt you'd like to see me write, send them to my tumblr, PM me here, or leave them in a review. I accept any and all prompts and that includes AU prompts!**

**My tumblr is winter-is-ending**

**Thank you and I hope you guys like this new series!**


	2. Chapter 2

Tracey's eyes fluttered open as the sun shone through the shutters. She smiled when she felt a light touch on her shoulder. She turned her head to peer over her shoulder and smiled at the man behind her. He smiled at her, kissing her shoulder once more. He slid a hand onto her stomach and began to draw circles on it.

"Good morning, darling," Bucky said, kissing her neck.

"Good morning, sweetie," she replied, turning around in his arms. She wrapped her arms his waist and snuggled her face into his chest.

Bucky chuckled. "I take it today's not one of those days where you want to get up, huh?" he asked, kissing the top of her head.

"Yes," she said, leaning up and kissing his jaw.

He smiled down at her and draped an arm over her, running his fingers up and down her back. "As much as I love just laying here with you, we have to start our day."

"I know," his wife said, resting her chin on his chest. She began to draw shapes on it as she stared out the window. "I still need to go to the market today."

"Do you want me to go with you?" he asked. "We could visit Steve and Sharon while we're out."

"No, I need you to work on your chores here," she said, looking around the small cottage they lived in. "We need firewood before it gets too cold."

"We could always just lay in bed and hold each other," the husband said with a grin.

Tracey rolled her eyes and kissed him. "As nice as that sounds, I'd rather not freeze to death."

"Alright, alright," he said, climbing out of the bed. He leaned down and kissed his wife one last time, smiling down at her. "I love you."

"I love you too, Bucky," she said, walking over to the dresser in the corner as he got dressed. "Now get going," she said, pushing his shoulder with a smile.

Bucky turned towards the door, but peeked over his shoulder at his wife, smiling as he watched her. He was the luckiest man in the world. He had the most beautiful wife and he couldn't be happier.

ooOOoo

"How's Bucky?" Sharon asked as she and Tracey walked through the market. She glanced at a stand of fruit, stopping to pick through them.

"He's good. We've been getting adjusted to married life," Tracey said, looking through the apples. She shifted her basket on her arm as she placed them in.

"I bet. And how's getting adjusted going?" the first woman asked, winking at her friend.

Tracey blushed, her face burning. "It's going well," she huffed as her friend burst out laughing.

"I'm just ki-"

The girls looked up as the crowded market grew quieter and the people creating it began to part. Looking over the heads of some people to see knights walking down the path that the other peasants had made. They were surrounding a man, the king.

"It's King Dave," Tracey said, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What's he doing here?"

"I heard he's been growing desperate to find a queen to have an heir," Sharon whispered. She ducked her head back to the stand when she saw the king's head turn their way, trying to avoid eye contact.

Tracey wasn't so lucky. Her eyes widened and her face grew red when she saw the king look at her and smirk. She quickly ducked her head as well, praying that he wouldn't come over towards them. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

"Good afternoon, ladies," Dave said, looking between the two blondes. His eyes landed back on Tracey, the smirk back on his face. "And who might you be?" he asked, grabbing her hand and kissing it.

Tracey chewed her cheek, her eyes grazing over the crowd of people around them. Many had went back to their shopping, others stood or walked and stared at them. She could hear a group of women nearby whispering amongst each other. Her face began to grow red again as she turned back to the king and saw him staring at her hungrily.

"Tracey Barnes, your grace," she said, curtsying slightly.

"Tracey? Beautiful name," he said, kissing her hand once more. "And an even more beautiful woman. This may be forward of me, but how would like to be my queen?"

The blonde woman's eyes grew wider than ever as she stared at the dark haired man. She turned to her friend beside her, who had a just as stunned look on her face as her. She turned back to the king and opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"I…I…"

"She doesn't want to be your queen," Bucky said, coming up beside them with Steve. He glared at the king as the man stood up straighter.

"And you are?" Dave asked, quirking a brow at the peasant that stood before him.

"I'm her husband," Bucky growled, brow furrowing as his glare grew more intense.

"Ah, so Tracey is your wife," the king said, chuckling. He shook his head. "Her being your wife makes no difference. If I want her as my queen I will have her as my queen."

"Like hell you will!" he snapped, lunging towards him.

Tracey and Sharon gasped, but let out the breath they were holding when Steve caught the dark haired male in time.

"Bucky, don't…" he said in a warning tone.

Bucky shook his best friend's hand off his shoulder and continue to glare at the king. "You're not taking her," he said.

"You're in no position to stop me, peasant," Dave said, venom dripping from his voice when he spoke the word "peasant" as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. "Guards."

"No!" Tracey said, running in between her husband and the king. "Please don't! I-I'm flattered that you would ask me to be your queen, truly."

"Tracey, what are you doing?" Bucky hissed from behind her. He sucked in a breath when she kicked him in the shin. Damn that woman had a strong kick!

"But I believe there is someone else who would be better suited for you," she said, ignoring the curses from her husband behind her.

The king raised a brow, folding his arms across his chest. "And who might this be?"

"Veronica Harris," she said, nodding her head to a dark haired woman who was trying to act as if she wasn't watching the group. "She hasn't taken her eye off of you since you came here. I believe she'd be better suited to be your queen and to," she cleared her throat, feeling uncomfortable, "have your son."

Dave looked over at Veronica, looking her up and down. He smirked at her when she gave him a smile. "She is quite beautiful," he said, more to himself than to anyone else. "Guards," he called out as he walked over to the new woman.

Tracey let out a breath once he was out of earshot. She was quickly wrapped up in strong arms once the king was gone. She shook her head as she hugged Bucky.

"You're acting ridiculous," she said, looking up at him.

"You're my wife," he said, kissing her nose, "and mine alone."

"That's great and all, but can Tracey and I get back to shopping?" Sharon piped up. "And I'm pretty sure you have chores she gave you. And I know you have chores I gave you," she said, turning to her husband.

Steve grinned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Right, sorry, darling. Come on, Buck," he said, nudging his friend's shoulder.

"I'll see you back at the house," Bucky said, kissing his wife. "I'll make sure to keep you warm tonight," he winked, giving her a toothy smirk.

"Bucky!" Tracey hissed, her face burning bright red.

"Come on, jerk!" Steve said, grabbing his best friend's arm. "Let's go!"

"I love you, Tracey," Bucky said before he was whisked away. "Get off, punk!"

"I love you too," Tracey said instead of shouting it as she watched her husband and Steve walk away. She shook her head and peeked over at the king and Veronica. She let out a sigh, relieved that she avoided that mess. She looked back at Bucky and caught him staring back at her. She smiled at him before they both went back to what they were doing. She loved that man and was grateful to have him as a husband.

**Thank you to the anon for the prompt! I hope you liked this!**

**If you have a question for the Avengers, Madison twins, and anyone else in the tower, feel free to leave a message on my tumblr. If you have a prompt you'd like to see me write, leave a message on my tumblr, PM me on here, or leave it in a review. I accept any and all prompts and - obviously from this new series – I accept AU prompts. **

**My tumblr is winter-is-ending**

**I hope you guys like this new series. Please let me know what you think in a review or message. If you don't care for this I will just move these chapters to Life at the Tower. But I would really love to hear what you guys think of this series! Thank you!**


	3. Chapter 3

Tracey walked down the halls of the manor. She sighed as she stopped and stared out one of the many windows. Outside the sky was covered with gray clouds and the wind was picking up. Telltale signs of a storm coming on. That stopped her from taking a walk through the gardens.

_Wonderful, _she thought as a fit of coughing over took her.

It had been two months since she moved into the manor. Two months since her engagement to the Duke James Barnes was official. The two had been betrothed since they were children, but had only met a few times. After years of never seeing each other it was time to prepare for the engagement. However, Tracey wasn't so sure. She knew she had to marry the duke in order to make trade easier with their lands. Being the daughter of the lumber provider from England made it important that she married Duke James. It made trade easier for both lands. She had no qualm at first. She wanted to help any way she could. It also wasn't exactly easy to get out of an engagement that you've been in since you were a child. But it also wasn't easy when the man you were engaged to was harsh and seemed to anger easily. The first time she had seen him in in a meeting with England since they met at her arrival she had walked in on him talking with a few men from England. She had walked in right as he was yelling at them unfortunately. Duke James Barnes was furious about something and it showed in his voice for sure and his face. It frightened her to say the least. But now knowing how he was Tracey wasn't sure about the marriage.

Would he be the same way towards her as he was towards the men in the meeting? Would he mistreat her? She knew it was an arranged marriage which usually meant nothing. The betrothed couple never had feelings towards each other. They only did it to help with whatever situation needed a marriage for the solution. But there was the rare – _very _rare – instance where the couple actually cared for each other or developed feelings throughout the engagement. But of course that was rare.

Tracey chewed her cheek and coughed once more as she stared out the window last time before making her way down the hall once more. However, before she could even take a step she heard voices.

Her eyes widened when she looked up and saw Duke James with his best friend and head guard, Steve Rogers. Her eyes widened even more when James looked up and made eye contact with her. Tracey's frantically looked around her, left and right, trying to find a possible way out. A door was to the right of her and she quickly scampered into the room.

She closed the door and took a step back as she listened for the two men to leave. Obviously they had seen her, but a girl could hope that they won't come in. Can't she?

Just as she started looking around the room for a way out, another coughing fit racked her body. She nearly doubled over after the first two coughs. She didn't even notice the door opening.

"Tracey, are you okay?" a rushed voice asked.

The blonde woman looked up as she continued to cough to see James standing in front of her with a worried look. She quickly shook her head only to start choking for air as the coughing kept up. She stood up straighter and tried to push her way past the duke. Only as soon as she took a step she felt lightheaded. Her vision was soon filled with flashing colors. Had she gotten up too fast?

But before she could move any further her eyes grew heavy, eventually shutting, and she swore she was falling.

ooOOoo

Spots of light shone in her eyes causing her to stir in her sleep. Slowly she opened her eyes, blinking away the sleep from her them. As her sense began to fully awake she could feel that she was wrapped up in blankets and her head was laying on a pillow. Looking around she realized she was in her bedroom. What had happened?

She looked towards the door when she heard someone walking in. It was her maid, and as of late, friend, Sharon. In her hands was a tray full of a plate of food and cup of water.

The blonde maid smiled down at the woman lying in the bed. "You're awake! That's good to see," she said as she placed the tray on the nightstand next to the bed. "You've been asleep for a couple of hours." She grinned when Tracey gave her a questioning look. "I may only know you for two months, but I know you well enough to know what you will ask. And to answer your follow up question, no I didn't bring you here."

"Then who did?" Tracey said, trying to sit up just as she coughed a couple times.

"That would be me."

Both women looked up to see Duke James Barnes walking through the door. He gave Sharon a small smile and nodded his head, signaling her that it was okay for her to leave. She nodded, giving Tracey one last smile, before quickly leaving the room. James quietly closed the door before making his way to the bed.

"You scared me back there," he said with a light laugh as he pulled up a chair.

"Sorry," Tracey simply said. Her hand flew to her mouth as yet another coughing fit took over.

James quickly grabbed the cup of water from the tray on the nightstand and handed it to her. He watched as she took a few gulps before the coughing subsided. He smiled once she calmed down.

"I'd ask how you're feeling, but I guess that answers my question," he said, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Hmm," Tracey said, looking down at the cup in her hands.

James pursed his lips as he stared at the woman in front of him. He sighed before speaking. "Did I do something to make you hate me?"

Tracey's head snapped up to stare at him incredulously. Hate? "What makes you think I hate you?" she questioned.

He raised a brow at her in a way of saying "Are you serious?" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You've been avoiding me every time we see each other. Like earlier today."

The blonde woman's gaze shifted back to the cup in her hands. She stayed quiet, trying to figure out how to answer the duke's question. She could feel his expectant gaze on her and she was right when she looked up at him. She sighed.

"A few days after arriving here I had walked in on a meeting with you and England. You were yelling at the men from England and…it scared me," she admitted. James blinked, taken aback, but Tracey opened her mouth, showing she wasn't done. "I don't hate you, James, I'm just wary."

The duke stared at her some more before he eventually broke out into a smile and began laughing. He shook his head when he saw Tracey's confused and angered face. "I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at the situation." He chuckled before he continued his explanation. "Yes, I was yelling at the men from England. Anyone could have seen that. Hell anyone could have heard that. But I'm sorry that you had walked in at that moment. The reason I was yelling at them was because of Tony Stark. He keeps wanting to change some parts of the deal we have with our countries for the trade. And if you know anything about Stark, you'd know he can be quite infuriating," he said, giving her a small smile and a raised brow as he inclined his head slightly.

Tracey couldn't help, but let out a small giggle at his face making the duke to break out into a smile. The blonde nodded her head and opened her mouth to speak only to cough again. James reached a hand out, trying to figure out what to do as she coughed and drank some more water. He waited until she was done and smiled at her.

"Bucky," he simply said, a smile on his face.

Tracey blinked. "What?"

"Bucky. You can call me Bucky. I don't care for James really. I prefer Bucky."

The woman smiled back up at him as her eyes grew heavy. She blinked rapidly, trying to keep them open.

Bucky laughed, shaking his head before lightly pushing her shoulder. "Rest," he said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "You need to get some sleep. You'll feel better if you do."

Tracey nodded as her eyes slowly closed.

ooOOoo

Tracey found herself waking up the same way she had as before. She found herself in her bed, but this time she felt something shift next to her. Looking to her left she found Bucky with his head resting on the side of the bed as he stayed seated in his chair. She giggled at the informal position the duke was in. It had to be uncomfortable. Tracey was cringing, only imagining what pain he'd be in the next day.

Staring down at the duke she smiled. He had stayed with her, all day it seemed since looking out the window it was already dark. He had stayed with her all day making sure she was okay. He really was kind, unlike the few chances she saw him. She laughed at herself, thinking of how she acted in paranoia of Bucky being harsh and angry all the time. In truth he was kind and selfless. She smiled a bit more as she stared at him. Maybe marrying him wouldn't be so bad after all…

**I am so so so SO sorry for the late updates! I'm now back home and after finals I've been in a rut of trying to find inspiration to write out the three prompts I've been given a few weeks ago. I'm really sorry to those of you who've sent them in. I'm doing my best to get them written. I promise I will do my best to get them out during the break. **

**Thank you to ladyjthewriter for this prompt! It was really fun to write and when I had gotten the prompt I couldn't stop smiling! This was too cute! Thank you!**

**If you would like to ask the Avengers, Madison twins, and anyone else in the tower any questions, feel free to leave a message on my tumblr. If you have a prompt you'd like to see me write, leave me a message on my tumblr, PM me here, or leave it in a review. You can also just send me a message on tumblr or here just saying hello. I would honestly love to get those! I love talking with you guys :D I hope to hear from you!**

**Thank you everyone for your support! I hope finals went well to those of you who have finished and I wish those of you who are taking them now good luck! You will do great!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Gabe," Captain Steve Rogers called out as he walked onto the deck. He looked back and forth at his men as they busied themselves with preparing the ship for departure.

"Captain?" the dark skinned sailor greeted, approaching the blond haired man.

"Have you seen Bucky?" he asked, referring to his first mate and best friend. "I haven't seen him anywhere all day. He keeps disappearing since we got here," he said, placing his hands on his hips.

He looked around at the rest of his crew as the men began to snicker and laugh. He raised a brow as one of his men came up and clapped him and Gabe on the back.

"He's probably down by the docks," Dum-Dum Dugan said, a knowing smile on his face as he looked at his captain.

"The docks? Why would he be there?" Steve questioned. "We need to get going soon."

"From what I've he's enamored with a woman," Jacque called out from his spot at the stern where he was stacking some crates.

"A woman? What makes you so sure?" Steve said, raising a brow. He had known Bucky for years. He was always the one to grab any girl's attention, but he was only known for flirting with them. Never had Steve seen him interested in just one girl before. He was doubtful, but at the same time he wanted to see if it was true.

"Haven't you seen how he acts whenever he gets back from the docks?" Jacque continued.

"You mean how he's always trying to hide his smile?" Morita put in.

"Yeah!" Falsworth exclaimed. "He might as well be skipping around like a little girl," he said, grinning and laughing.

"Never thought we'd see him falling for a girl," Gave laughed.

"Yeah, he's the one of us known for charming any girl," Dugan said. He shook his head, crossing his arms. "Poor kid is gonna be broken hearted when we leave," he sighed.

Yeah…" Steve said, looking towards the direction of the other docks. He'd never seen Bucky fall for a girl before. What was going to happen to his best friend when he has to leave her behind?

ooOOoo

"If that's called a pipe and not a snarfblat," a blonde woman said, putting a smoking pipe into her bag as she floated in the water. She pulled out a dull, worn out silver fork next. "Then what's a dinglehopper?" she questioned, holding the fork up to the man in front of her.

Bucky let out a laugh as he looked at the item and shook his head. "A dinglehopper? Where do you come up with these names?"

The woman glared at the man and huffed. "I'm sorry I don't know anything about your world," she said, raising her tail out of the water and splashing him. "I've lived in the sea my whole life."

"Sorry, sorry," he said, smiling down at the mermaid. He pointed to the object in her hand. "That's called a fork. We use it for eating food," he explained.

"You mean you don't use it for your hair?" the mermaid said, her eyes growing with wonder as she turned the fork around in her hands.

"Where did you get that idea?" he said, smiling at her still.

"I came up with it. The way it looks made me think of something that would brush your hair," she said, proceeding to use the fork as a comb to prove her point. "See? That or it was a tiny trident."

Bucky laughed again. "Okay, you make a good point." He watched as the mermaid continued to brush her hair with the fork a few more times before stuffing it back in her bag. He frowned and sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Tracey…"

"Yes, Bucky?" the blonde mermaid said, smiling up at the man. Her face fell when she saw the frown on his face. "What's wrong?"

"I'm going to be leaving soon," he said, looking out at the water in front of them.

Tracey giggled. "Well I know that. You always have to leave to get back to your ship. When can I see it by the way?" she said, her voice growing with excitement and her eyes shining.

"No, I mean I'm going to be leaving with my captain and crew soon. Today actually…"

"Oh…" Tracey said, lowering her head. She perked up and pulled her arms up on the dock so she was laying them next to his legs. She smiled up at him. "That's no problem. I can just travel with you. In the water of course," she laughed.

The sailor let out a small laugh. "I know you could, but I don't know how the other men will react to seeing a mermaid. Steve, my captain-"

"Steve's your best friend, right/" Tracey beamed, feeling proud of herself for remembering.

"Yes, he is," Bucky said, smiling to himself before turning back to the mermaid next to him. "What about your family? I don't want you to leave your family because of me."

"Oh…right…" Tracey sighed, staring at the wooden planks on the deck. She looked back up at Bucky. "Will I ever see you again?"

"I'm not sure…I hope so," he said, giving the female a hopeful smile. "Maybe one day."

"Thank you for teaching me everything from your world, Bucky. I had fun getting to know the human world and you," she said, smiling brightly at him.

"Me too, Tracey. I loved getting to know you," Bucky replied, smiling down at her. He smiled even more when he saw her cheeks turn pink. He stood up. "Goodbye, Tracey."

"Goodbye, Bucky," the mermaid said, waving to the sailor as he walked away. She sighed and dove under the water, swimming away from the dock as fast as she could.

Would she ever get to see the sailor who spent time with her to teach her everything he knew about his world? The sailor who took an interest in her, not just because she was a rare sight for sailors to see. Bucky had actually shown true interest in her. He didn't seem entranced in her just because of her tail. Heck, she even had hidden her tail and pretended to just be a human girl swimming when she first met him. It wasn't until the third meeting with him that she revealed she was a mermaid. He was shocked to say the least, but he didn't seem to change how he acted around her. He treated her just as he did when they first met.

Tracey smiled to herself thinking of the sailor with the eyes as blue as the ocean. She prayed she'd see him again.

Her attention was quickly drawn from her thoughts when an idea came to mind. What if she turned into a human? She always dreamed of seeing the human world. And she could travel with Bucky! …But she'd be leaving her mom and brother behind. What could she do? Her face lit up when yet another idea popped into her head! Natasha the Spider Queen! She would know how to help!

Tracey quickly swam to the grotto she heard where the spider queen would be. Many rumors had spread of the mysterious witch. Some had said she was evil and not to be trusted. Others said she was helpful and kind. Then there were those who said that it depended on who was asking for help. She just hoped that she would help her.

The young mermaid approached the entrance to the grotto. She stared at it warily. Should she go to the witch?

_You're here, Tracey, _she thought. _No sense turning back now. _She took a deep breath and cautiously swam into the grotto.

It was dark except for the light from the entrance. Looking around, she only saw the rock walls and the endless dark waters. It wasn't until further down the way she saw where the water broke to a raised section of rocks. Breaking the surface, she bobbed up and down in the water as she turned her head left and right.

"Hello?" she called out. "I-is anyone here?"

"You don't have to be afraid. My name is deceiving. I don't bite," a voice answered.

Tracey looked up and saw a woman with red hair walking from the back of the grotto. She was wearing a long black dress with no sleeves. But there was black string that wrapped around her arms and tied at her hands. The mermaid gasped at the woman. She was beautiful! It definitely made Tracey question how she was looking in front of the queen.

"Are you going to ask me for help or are you going to keep staring at me?" the spider queen asked, a smirk gracing her features.

Tracey blushed bright red as she quickly tried to compose herself. "Sorry! Um I need your help. Can you give me legs?"

"Legs?" Natasha said, raising a brow. "That's a first. Why do you want legs?"

"There's…I want to see the human world…" Tracey said, looking down at her hands as she played with a rock on the ground in front of her.

Natasha laughed. "That's it?" Please. I can tell it's more. Who's the boy?" she asked, the smirk coming back to her face.

Tracey's face grew brighter as she tried to hide her face. "Um there's this sailor. Well he's a pirate, but he's not like the other pirates. He and his crew are kind. They help those in need. Well, that's what he's told me anyway…"

"You're talking about the crew of The Howling Commando?" Natasha questioned.

Tracey nodded. "Yes! Do you know them?"

The spider queen shook her head, a smile on her face. "I know everything I need to know. I have my ways," she explained with a wink at the end. "As for your legs, give me a minute."

Tracey watched as the queen went to the back of the grotto. She heard a few sounds coming from the back as the spider queen rummaged through stuff. She raised a brow when the red haired woman came back with a bottle.

Natasha smiled as she held the bottle up. "Drink this when you're near the shore. It will give you legs. And this," she held up another bottle, "will give you your tail back if you change your mind."

Tracey's face beamed as she was handed the bottles. "Thank you so much!" she exclaimed.

Natasha laughed nodding her head. "Just be sure to use it near the shore. I can only guess that you won't know how to swim with legs after having a fin for years."

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Tracey said, nodding her head. A large smile was on her face as she stared at the bottles in her hands. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem," the queen said, smiling back at her. "Now go get that man of yours," she said with a wink.

Tracey smiled even more. "Th-thank you again. Bye!"

The mermaid dove under the water and swam as fast as she could to the shore. The smile remained as she waved her tail, pushing her closer and closer to the shore. She gripped the bottles in her hands, afraid she would drop them. The smile on her face growing with every foot she came closer to reaching the shore. Especially when she saw a shadow coming from an object floating on the surface. A ship!

_That has to be Bucky's ship! _she thought.

She pushed herself towards the surface and broke through the water, smiling as she looked up at the ship.

"Bucky?" she called out. She beamed as she thought of the smile that would grow on the man's face when he saw her.

"Well what do we have here?"

Tracey looked up, smiling only for it to drop.

ooOOoo

"So how's the girl, Bucky?" Dugan grinned as he looked at the younger man.

The dark haired man rolled his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about," Bucky said.

"Oh please!" Morita exclaimed. "We've seen how you act every time you get back from the docks."

"They've got a point, Buck," Steve said, patting his best friend on the back. "You're smiling every time you come back."

"You only know that because we pointed it out to you," Gave laughed, nudging the captain's shoulder.

"Ha ha," the captain said, rolling his eyes. "Either way, ho-"

"Captain!" Falsworth shouted. "A ship is approaching!"

Steve furrowed his brow as he pulled a telescope from his belt. He frowned when he saw the ship.

"What's wrong, Steve?" Bucky said, walking up next to his friend and captain.

"It's Hydra."

"The ship Hydra?" Dugan asked, frowning. "What are they doing here?"

"Well they haven't attacked yet, so maybe they're here to reason?" Dugan suggested.

Bucky raised a brow unamused. "Yeah and I'm the queen of Scotland." He stared back at the ship as it grew closer and closer to The Howling Commando. "Why are they here?"

"Well why don't we ask them ourselves?" Jacque said, waving a hand toward the ship as it finally reached them.

"Hello, Rogers," a man from the ship Hydra called out to Steve.

"What do you want, Pierce?" Steve sneered as she glared at the grey haired man on the other ship.

"You're surrender of course," he said with a shrug and an amused smile.

"Nice try," Bucky scoffed. "We took you down with your last leader, Skull. We can take you down again."

"Ah, but you see we have something that might interest you," Pierce said, a wicked smile growing on his face. "Carter! Rumlow! Bring her here!"

Bucky watched as a blonde woman and a dark haired man walked up to Pierce. They appeared to be struggling with something as they hauled it to their captain. The sailor of The Howling Commando's eyes widened when they raised it. It was a net. And inside it was a mermaid. His mermaid. Tracey.

"Bucky!" Tracey called out when her eyes landed on him. She struggled in the net, pulling at the rope.

Bucky looked at Tracey horrified at her predicament. He ignored the looks he was getting from his captain and fellow crew mates. He glared at the older man captaining the enemy ship.

"Let her go!" the first mate growled out. His hand hovered over the gun on his belt. He wanted to shoot the man where he stood, right now. Tracey didn't deserve to be mixed up with this.

"Surrender and I'll let the little mermaid go," Pierce said with a smirk.

Bucky's hand gripped the gun when he saw Rumlow hold a sword at Tracey. But before he could shoot it, let alone hold it up, the blonde woman known as Carter shot Rumlow in the knee, sending him to the ground. It gave Bucky and Steve enough time to shoot Pierce down. Bucky watched as Carter cut the net and Tracey dove back into the water. He ran to the railing, searching for his mermaid. He looked at Carter and nodded.

"Thank you."

She smiled, nodding back at him. "I was getting real tired of that guy anyway." She glared down at Rumlow when she heard him click the safety on his gun from his spot on the ground. She kicked him in the head, sending him back down unconscious.

Steve smirked. "Not bad."

"Not bad yourself, Captain." She smirked back at him.

"We could use someone like you, care to join?" he asked, ignoring the grins and snickers from his crew.

The smirk grew on the woman's face. "Sounds good to me. It's Sharon by the way."

Bucky smiled as he watched his best friend and the new crew member discuss as Morita set to work making a way for the blonde woman to board the ship. The first mate turned back to the waters, searching for the mermaid again. He sighed when he spotted her swimming to shore. He raced off the boat and down the dock towards the beach. In no time he was beside the mermaid.

"Are you okay?" he asked frantically.

Tracey smiled and nodded. "I am. Thank you for saving me. I should thank that woman as well," she said, looking up at the other blonde female as she now stood on the deck of The Howling Commando. "Maybe I can get to know her and everyone else as well," she beamed.

Bucky frowned, his brow arching up. "Tracey…you and I both know you can't just travel with us even if you travel through the water. I can't just take you from your life."

"But what if I want to travel with you and be a part of your world? I've always wanted to learn more thing about the human world."

"You can't! You're a mermaid, Tracey!" Bucky argued. "There's no way a mermaid can be a part of my world and there's no way for a human to be a part of your world. It just doesn't work that way," he said, hanging his head.

"But what if I have a way?" the blonde mermaid said, holding the bottle up.

Bucky scrunched his face up in confusion. "What is that?"

"A potion from the Spider Queen," the mermaid answered.

The pirate's eyes widened as he stared at her. "You went to the Spider Queen? I thought she was a myth?"

"To humans maybe. But she's not one for merpeople. Plenty of us have gone to her. She has varying reputations."

"Are you sure that won't hurt you?" he asked, looking at the tiny vial of purple liquid.

"I'm not sure…" Tracey's worried face quickly changed to one of determination. "But only one way to find out," she said as she uncorked the glass bottle.

"Tracey! Don't!"

Bucky watched in horror as the mermaid drank every last drop of the bottle's contents before they both stared at her fin. At first nothing happened and the hurt expression on the female's face nearly broke the sailor's heart. But his attention was drawn back to the fin when it began to glow. Surely, but slowly the mermaid's tail began to form into human legs right before their eyes.

Tracey's face broke out into a smile once the transformation was complete. She raised a foot and began wiggling her toes as laughter peeled from her mouth.

"I have legs… I have legs! Bucky!" she exclaimed, turning to the brunet man. She quickly jumped up, or tried to jump up, to his standing position only to quickly wobble and topple over.

"Easy!" Bucky stated as he grabbed her. He cleared his throat as he looked at her indecent appearance of only a seashell bra and nothing else. He quickly took his coat off and draped it over her shoulders.

The former mermaid beamed up at the man, who still stood taller than her still even now that she had legs, and quickly hugged him.

"I'm a human, Bucky!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down…only failing as he had to keep a grip on her.

Bucky eventually got over the shock and began laughing and smiling with her. "Amazing…" he said, barely above a whisper. He looked down at Tracey as she stared at her feet and wiggled her toes. He frowned. "Tracey…what about your family?"

"My mom will be happy that I've found something that makes me happy. She'll be sad, but she always told me she wants what's best for me. Same with my brother. Plus," she held up the other bottle, "I have this second potion that will give me back my tail if I ever want to go back to the sea."

"Well I hope that will never be used then," Bucky said, smiling down at his mermaid. He smiled even more when the pink was back on her cheeks. God he loved it when she blushed. He shook his head laughing. He was a love sick puppy basically! And he barely knew her! _I guess now I will get more time with her, _he thought. He smiled at the blonde woman as she stared at him perplexed. Most likely wondering why he was laughing. He smiled at her. "Come on, darling. Let's get you some clothes," he said, carefully leading her to his ship and crew.

**Thank you to morbidly-funny for the AU request! I had so much fun with this one since The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney movies. Funny enough I went to the aquarium today after I started writing this and there was a show with girls dressed as mermaids. That was pretty awesome! (And ironic haha). I hope you liked this prompt and again thanks for sending it in!**

**If you have any questions you'd like to ask the Avengers, Madison twins, or anyone else in the tower, feel free to leave a message on my tumblr. If you have a prompt you'd like to see written, you can send me a message on my tumblr, PM me here, or leave it in a review! I take any and all questions and prompts! I hope to hear from you!**

**My tumblr is winter-is-ending**

**Thank you for all your support! And happy holidays and good luck on finals to those of you taking them this week! You're almost done! You can do it!**


	5. Chapter 5

Bucky frowned as he stared at the woman across the room from him. His hands were folded together, elbows on the table, as he rested his mouth against his knuckles. His brow was furrowed and his mouth was set in a firm line. He couldn't look away. He couldn't, even if he tried. No, he didn't want to. There she was, sitting away from him, and here he was by himself. What could he do? He couldn't just go up to her. No. Not when she was with him.

The dark haired man closed his eyes and took a deep breath in before slowly exhaling through his nose. Shaking his head, he stood up abruptly, pushing his chair out creating an annoying screech against the tiled floor. Shoving his hands in his pocket he stormed out of the diner. He didn't care if others saw him and questioned his manners of leaving in such a huff. He only cared about her. Her and only her. How could she be away from him? How could she be with someone else? How could that guy make her happier than he ever did?

His brow furrowed more as he hunched into his coat as the winter air whipped around him. He sighed, his breath creating a white cloud in front of him. His eyes snapped downward to his pocket where he heard ringing. He sighed once more when he saw the picture ID.

"Yes, Steve?" he answered, sighing yet again.

"Hello to you too," Steve said on the other end. "Someone's in a bad mood."

"I'm always in a bad mood," Bucky grumbled.

"Yeah, but this is worse than your normal bad mood." There was a pause. "You saw her again didn't you?"

Bucky inhaled slowly and let the air out through his mouth. "Yeah…"

"Was she with him again?"

"Yeah…"

"I'm sorry, pal…"

"Me too…"

Bucky spotted a bus stop with a bench a few feet in front of him and quickly sat down. He stared ahead of him, watching as traffic drove on by. Horns honking and people shouting for taxis. His eyes flickered between each vehicle and person as they went by.

"Buck…I'm sorry."

"I know you are, Steve. But it can't be helped…" Bucky sighed.

"I believe it can. Try talking to her," the man on the other end of the phone said.

"And say what, Steve?" Bucky snapped. "She doesn't remember me. What would you do if some random guy walked up to you and said 'Hey, you don't remember me, but we used to date. Will you come back with me to our old apartment? Do you remember me?'"

"What other choice do you have, Bucky?" Steve said, making his best friend's brow furrow even more. "The only way to get her to remember is to actually talk to her. Not watch her from far away."

"Easier said than done," Bucky grumbled. "Besides…she looks happier with him." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Steve, I just can't. I don't want to scare her away by just walking up to her and claiming she used to be my girlfriend. And when do you expect me to do that anyways? Am I supposed to follow her to her apartment and explain everything to her?"

Bucky heard a sigh on the other end. "Buck…I don't know what to tell you other than to just talk to her. Look I have to go. I just called to see how you were doing."

"Sharon's over?"

Another pause. "Yeah…"

Bucky pursed his lips, nodding his head. "Yeah. Go hang out with her, Steve. Stop worrying about me and spend time with your girl…"

Steve sighed. "Just give it a shot next time you see her, Bucky. Who knows what will happen. See ya."

"Yeah," Bucky said, closing his eyes as the call ended. He stuffed his phone back in his pocket and lowered his head. "I know what's going to happen. She won't remember and she'll think I'm crazy…" he said under his breath.

"Okay… Yeah… Alright bye."

Bucky's head snapped up when he heard the voice. It was coming from his left. He knew that voice. He'd pick that voice out of a crowd any day. He turned his head and his breath cut short. She was right there. Coming his way. She was rummaging through a purse and huddling into her coat as another gust of wind blew by. She was by herself too.

The man rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Damn it, Steve…" he mumbled.

He held his breath as he saw her sit down next to him out of the corner of his eye. She was right there! She was right next to him! God, how he wanted to just pull her into his arms and hold her tight. Keep her warm from the cold like he used to when they took walks at Central Park. He missed the feeling of her burrowing herself against him and holding his hand. He missed her beautiful smile and brown eyes.

_Just say something to her, Buck! _he yelled at himself in his head.

The blonde woman turned her head slightly, feeling the man's gaze on her. She smiled warmly at him, unaware of how his heart fluttered at that simple gesture.

"Hello," she greeted.

"H-hi," the man spoke.

The woman dug through her purse again and pulled out her phone. "Um…I was wondering, if it's not too much to ask, do you know where this address is?" she asked, pulling up a note on her phone.

Bucky leaned over, staring at the address on the phone. "Not a problem," he said, smiling warmly at her. "You just take a left down a few blocks and take another left two more blocks after that."

The woman smiled brightly. "Thank you so much! Do you know which bus to take as well?" she said, stuffing the phone back in her purse. "Sorry for the questions. I'm in a hurry and can't find that address for the life of me. You'd think after living here for a few years I'd know where everything is," she laughed.

Bucky smiled and laughed with her. God, he missed her laugh! "It's no trouble at all. You actually just need to take the next bus."

The woman sighed, beaming at him. "You are a hero. You have no idea how much you just helped me."

The dark haired man chuckled. "I don't know about a hero…" _Say something you idiot!_ Bucky took a deep breath, his heart pounding. "Would your-" He cleared his throat. The nerves getting to him. "Would your name happen to be Tracey by any chance?"

The blonde blinked at him and shook her head. "Uh no, sorry. My name is Linda."

"Oh…uh sorry. You just looked like someone I knew..." A pause and another clearing of his throat. "This…this is going to sound strange…" His heart hammered in his chest as he saw the suspicious look Tracey/Linda was giving him. "But um do…do I look familiar to you in anyway?"

Tracey/Linda scrunched her face in confusion and wariness. "Uh…no sorry. Should you?"

Bucky shook his head. "Sorry, it's just that you _really _look like someone I know."

"Sorry, I've never seen you before," Tracey/Linda answered.

Bucky took another breath. He wanted to grab her shoulders, make her look – really look – at him and recognize him. She had to remember him! He let out a small chuckle. "Are you sure you're name isn't Tracey?" He was desperate now.

The woman's face went from suspicious to fear in a matter of seconds. She quickly stood up. "Look, I don't know who this Tracey is, but I'm not her."

"Yes, you are," Bucky said, standing up abruptly.

Tracey/Linda's eyes widened and she took a step back. "I-I don't know what your deal is buddy, but you need to stay away."

Bucky quickly held his hands up. "I'm not going to hurt you. I swear." I would never hurt you is what he wanted to say. His brow arched up when he saw the look on her face. A look of fear blatantly on her features.

"Just stay away."

"Tracey, please," Bucky said, taking a step back.

Tracey/Linda quickly stepped back again. "I'm not Tracey!" she declared. "I don't know who you are. My name is Linda! Just leave me alone!"

"No, you're Tracey Madison! You're my girlfriend. You love to paint. You love tea and hate coffee. You have a dog named Dexter. You live with me in our apartment in Queens," Bucky stated. He was close to falling on his knees, begging her to remember. To come back to him. "Please, Tracey. You have to remember."

"If you come any closer to me I will scream!" The blonde woman was breathing heavily now as she stared at the deranged man in front of her. She whipped her head to the left as a bus rolled up to the stop. She jumped on as soon as the doors opened, not even taking a last look at the man she left standing there.

Bucky's heart shattered as he watched the doors close and the bus drive away. Drive away with the woman he loved. The woman who he remembered, but didn't remember him. He felt the tears forming in his eyes, but he didn't fight them away as he trudged back to his apartment. The snow that began to fall only darkening his mood. It wasn't the same without the way Tracey would stare in awe at the snowflakes as they fell around them as they walked through the city. He didn't think anything would be the same without her.

ooOOoo

"Hey, Dexter," Bucky said, giving the golden retriever a small, sad smile as he walked into his apartment. He patted the dog once on the head before he made his way to the small living room. There he threw his coat off and threw it on the arm chair next to the couch, which he fell onto. He stared ahead of him, staring at the wall as he thought over what had happened only hours ago. He had a chance to get Tracey to remember. He was so close to her. But she didn't remember him. Why couldn't she remember?

He held his head in his hands, yanking on his hair. God he was an idiot for taking Steve's advice! He should have just stuck with watching Tracey go about her day whenever he'd run into her.

_Can you sound any more like a stalker? _he criticized himself.

He sighed and rested his head on the back of the couch. He shifted his eyes down to his lap where Dexter was laying his head. The dog was staring up at him with saddened eyes. The dark haired man nodded his head slowly and scratched the dog's ears.

"I miss her too, buddy," he said softly.

Bucky continued to stare at the wall when Dexter's head shot up and he bolted to the door. Bucky raised a brow as he watched the dog bark at the door. The man made a face when the doorbell rang, making the dog bark and jump even more.

"Goddamnit, Steve. I swear if that's you checking up on me I'm going to punch you," he grumbled as he stood up. He yanked the door open, eyes set in a glare and ready to yell at his best friend. "I told you to leav-" He froze, eyes wide as he stared at the person in front of him. It wasn't Steve.

Tracey/Linda stood in the doorway, eyes wide as she stared up at the man. "H-hi…" she squeaked out.

Bucky cleared his throat and stood up a little taller. "Uh hi? Look about today…I'm sor-"

He was cut off as the blonde woman flung her arms around his neck and smashed her lips onto his. His instincts kicked in and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to him. A hand went up to her hair and tangled in her blonde locks. God he missed holding her, kissing her! He missed all of her.

_Please don't let this be a dream, _he begged as he pulled away from her. He kept his hold on her. He knew he should release her, but if this was a dream he wanted to hold onto her as long as he could. But it couldn't be a dream could it? It felt so real. And- _Oh god, is she crying?_ he exclaimed in his mind.

Tracey/Linda's lip was trembling as she stared up at him, but it slowly grew into a small smile. "Hiya, Sergeant…" she said softly.

Bucky's heart skipped a beat at his nickname she had given him after the first month of dating and he told her he had been in the army. That nickname only meant one thing to him. She remembered. She remembered! His face broke out into a large grin as he pulled her close to him again. He smiled even more when he felt her bury her face in his shoulder and her arms wrapped around him.

She remembered.

**Thank you to the anon who requested this AU prompt. She asked for of course Tracey not remembering Bucky and being with someone else while Bucky desperately tried to get her to remember (OUAT style). I was excited about this because I LOVE Once Upon a Time! **

**I'd like to apologize to the anon for taking so long on writing this. I had finals going on when you had given me this prompt and since I got back home for break I've been stuck on what to write. Inspiration is running low and I need to figure out a way to get some back. **

**On the upside after seeing Marvel Live yesterday I think I got a little bit more inspiration back. Along with some tips from my friend, Darkargo! If you like Fire Emblem and like the character Yen'fay, check out her Yen'fay/OC story! She's an amazing writer and I envy her writing SO much! Check her out guys :D**

**If you'd like to ask the Avengers, Madison twins, and anyone else in the tower, feel free to leave a question in my inbox on my tumblr. If you have a prompt you'd like to see, AU or normal, leave a message on my tumblr, PM me here, or leave it in a review. **

**Thank you guys for all the support and waiting for me to get off my butt and actually get stuff written. You guys are amazing and I love reading all your reviews! Thank you again!**


	6. Chapter 6

Tracey's screams echoed off the cement walls as the electricity coursed from her head through her body. The men in front of her just stood there, unfazed, as they watched. She tried to yell. Tried to tell them to make it stop. But all she could do was scream her lungs out. The men continued to watch for another minute before one punched in some keys at the control panel they stood next to. The head piece rose from Tracey's head back to its original waiting position. The blonde woman panted as she laid there, strapped to the chair.

"Miss Madison," one of the men said, approaching her as she came to.

The blonde woman's eyes snapped to the man, fear and confusion evident in them. "Wh-who?"

"You're name is Tracey Madison," he said calmly. "You've been asleep for a few days. Your last mission left you wounded. We were able to heal you, but at a cost."

"My mi-mission?" Tracey said as the chair she was laying on moved to a sitting position. "What are you talking about?"

"That's the thing. The cost was your memories. You hit your head hard after an attack from your enemy. It left you wounded and the first time you came to you were questioning everyone around you about everything. We had to sedate you to get you to calm down."

The blonde woman paused, registering the new information. She nodded her head slowly, hesitantly, still unsure what to believe. "Where am I?"

"You're with Hydra. The organization you've been working at for the past couple years," The man informed. He turned to the other two men as they stood to the side, ready to activate the chair if needed. He waved them away receiving a nod from them before they walked out of the room.

"Hydra?" Tracey said slowly, testing the word out. She could remember an organization of some sort. A team. She couldn't make out faces, but it seemed they had gone on missions together. What this man was saying must be true if she was able to remember small bits of previous missions like that. She nodded. "Right… What…what do I do here exactly?"

The man smiled. "You are the one who recovers intel for us. You're skills lie within hacking into systems and extracting files from our enemies."

She nodded. She remembered that. She remembered endless nights of staying up late on her computer. "I remember…"

The smile on the man's face grew. "Excellent. Now," he said, pushing a button on the control panel. The metal restraints holding Tracey to the chair released, allowing her to finally move her limbs. "Get some rest, Miss Madison. Your next mission starts soon."

ooOOoo

A few months had passed since Tracey had woken up in Hydra's base. The first week she was allowed to rest up. After that she was put back to work on a computer to extract files and other information Hydra needed. She was good. At least she was told that. She couldn't tell considering she was the only one doing the work she did.

She was now walking through the halls of the base after gathering the last of some needed information. She was on her way to report to the man she had met when she first woke up. A day later of waking up she had learned his name was Calvin Laurence. He was the only man she ever reported to. Others around the base never really spoke to her unless they were to give orders to her. Other than that they would grunt in greeting or give a curt nod. Nothing much. Tracey couldn't help but wonder if she was meant to be here or not. But she never questioned it. Fearful of possible punishment for bringing up such a matter. She had seen what disobedient agents would receive for punishment. Some weren't bad, but others were severe. It was terrifying to say the least.

She made it to Laurence's office where she stopped outside the door. She froze as she heard someone mention her name.

"Do you really want her for this mission?" the voice asked.

"She's the only one capable of completing the job," came Laurence's response.

"But it's The Avengers."

The Avengers. Tracey had heard a few agents mention them from time to time. When she had asked Laurence about them he just brushed her off and said they were Hydra's enemies and got in the way of their plans. What kind of mission required The Avengers?"

"You don't think I know that?" Laurence laughed. "It won't be a problem as long as she doesn't get caught and extracts the files from Stark's database."

"But what if she does get caught? What if she remembers?" the agent pushed. "The mission will be a bust if she remembers she was a part of their team."

Tracey's heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened. A part of their team? She was a part of The Avengers? But she was with Hydra for years. That's what she was told at least… That could explain why she continuously had the feeling she didn't belong with Hydra.

She listened in on the conversation again when she heard the agent continue.

"Sir, she hasn't had her memory wiped in a while. There's a chance she will remember and we don't have time to wipe her again and get her to believe she's a part of Hydra, let alone prep her for the mission fast enough."

"I know that she hasn't been wiped in a while," Laurence snapped. "I'm the one who administers it." There was a pause and a creaking that sounded like someone moving in a chair. "If she gets caught or remembers…kill her. She's disposable and we only need her for this one mission."

The hacker's heart beat picked up. Kill her? It was true then. She was never part of Hydra. She was an Avenger then? And they wiped her memory? Was that The Avengers the team she had seen flash through her mind when she first woke up? How much could she even remember?

She had to get out of here. But the only way she could get out was if she didn't get caught during the mission. Whatever the mission was. Even then, she'd be stuck with Hydra still and most likely have her memories wiped once she returned to base. She paused in thought. Or she could get caught. The Avengers are strong, that much she knew of them. If she was a member of their team they would most likely protect her wouldn't they?

The hacker quickly composed herself. If she was going to figure out a way to save herself she had to play it off as if she didn't know anything the two men in the room were just talking about.

She stepped in, clearing her throat like she always did to let her presence be known. Laurence and the agent looked up at her. A smile was on Laurence's face as he looked at her.

"Ah, Tracey. Just who I wanted to see," he said in greeting.

She nodded her head, a shy smile on her face. "I have the files you requested, sir."

"Excellent. I can always count on you to be on top of things," he said, taking the folder of said files from her hand. He tucked them away into a drawer to read later. "I have a mission for you. This one requires you to actually go out in the field. Wells here will accompany you."

Tracey turned her head slightly to look at the agent sitting in the chair on the other side of Laurence's desk. She gave a small smile only to receive a grunt and nod in reply. Nothing new.

"Follow his instructions and don't stray from the mission," Laurence said firmly.

"Yes, sir," she said, nodding in understanding.

ooOOoo

"I need to go out there and find her!" Bucky roared, shoving his way past Steve. "It's been months and we haven't found her!"

The blond super soldier jogged to his friend as he was making his way to the elevator. He pushed him back by the shoulders. "Buck, calm dow-"

"Don't tell me to calm down, Steve!" the metal armed soldier screaming, shoving his best friend off. "She's out there with Hydra going through God knows what! I need to find her! Either you can come with me or stay here, but you're not stopping me!"

"I'm not going to stop you," Steve said, calmly, hoping that if he spoke like that he'd calm his friend down as well. "But I'm going to tell you that you need to think of a plan before you just go out there."

"Forget your fucking plans!" the other super soldier shouted. "I need to find Tracey now! I swore I would protect her and I'm failing already! I can't lose her!"

"You're not going to lose her, but you need to calm down and have a clear head," the blond man said.

"What if this was Sharon?" Bucky yelled. "What if Hydra had her and you had no idea where she was? You would be just as mad as me!"

"You're right," Steve said with a sigh. "But I'd still do my best to keep my cool. You need to as wel-"

Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes," JARVIS spoke out, breaking up the argument. "There appears to be two intruders on the roof."

"What?" Steve said, brow furrowing. "Come on," he said, motioning Bucky to follow.

The two super soldiers burst through the door to the rooftop where they were greeted with cool night air. Looking around they didn't see anything until they spotted two dark figures by the power box. The one standing over the second figure quickly held up a gun, shooting at the two. Steve deflected the bullets with his shield and rushed the man.

"Go after the other one!" he ordered.

Bucky narrowed in on the one crouching in front of the power box. He ran towards them and heard a shriek. His brow furrowed in confusion at the feminine cry, but pushed forward. However, he froze when he saw in the dim lighting blonde hair and brown eyes. The same beautiful brown eyes he could never forget.

"Tracey?" he breathed.

The woman looked up at him with wide fearful eyes. She furiously shook her head. "No no no no!"

"Tracey, it's me, Bucky," the dark haired soldier said, tentatively taking a step towards her. "It's Sergeant."

"I-I-I don't know you!" she cried out, backing away from him.

Bucky's heart fell. Those were words he never wanted to hear. Not from her. He ignored the calls from Steve as he tried to fight off the agent. Bucky only had eyes and ears for the woman in front of him.

"Please, Tracey," he begged. "You have to remember."

The blonde hacker paused before taking a small step towards the man. She saw the smile on his face. A genuine smile. That did it. The way he looked at her proved that she was actually a member of The Avengers, not Hydra. But her eyes snapped to Wells as he knocked the other man to the ground. The Hydra agent's eyes were on her. Narrowed in suspicion. Tracey whipped her head back to the super soldier in front of her. "No! Please get away! I don't know you!"

Bucky turned his head to where she had been looking. He glared at the agent and sighed when Steve tackled him to the ground. He turned back to the blonde woman. "Tracey, listen to me. You're not a part of Hydra. You're an Avenger. Your family is here."

Tracey shook where she stood. "Really?" she whispered.

"Yeah," Bucky answered, a hopeful smile on his face.

"Please," she whimpered. "B-Bucky?" she said questioningly, hoping she heard his name right. "Help me, please." It came out as a whisper. She didn't want Wells to hear her.

"What did they do to you, Tracey?" Bucky asked, taking another step towards her.

"I-I hear-heard them say they wiped my memory," she answered. She flinched when she heard Bucky growl as he whipped his head around to glare at Wells.

His composure softened when he looked at her again. "Tracey, I promise you, you belong here. Whatever they told you is a lie. We can protect you."

"Please, help me," Tracey pleaded. "He-he's going to kill m-"

Bucky's heart shattered as he heard the gun shot. He froze as he watched Tracey fall to the ground. Quickly dropping his own gun, he gathered the woman in his arms. Blood was pouring out of a hole in the side of her head.

"No… no no no NO!" he screamed. "Tracey, baby, say something!" He brushed hair out of her face as he stared down at her. Tears were streaming down his face. "Don't die on me! Please! I just got you back! I can't lost you, Tracey!"

He held her to him as he sobbed into her hair. The woman he loved, swore to protect, was dead. She was dead in his arms and he couldn't do anything to protect her! He failed her!

"Tracey, please!" he sobbed.

Everything around him froze. He didn't hear the traffic down below the tower. He didn't hear Steve steal the gun from the Hydra agent and shoot him. He only heard his sobs and could only see Tracey in his arms.

He took a shuddering breath as he sat up straight. Staring down at her she stared back at him. Her eyes void of any light that they used to hold. He would never see them shine when she was happy. He would never see the beautiful smile he saw every day that brought a smile to his face. He'd never hear her laugh, hear her voice. Anything. He wouldn't get to see her ever again.

He kissed her forehead before burying his face back in her hair where he continued to cry.

The woman he loved is dead…

**Thank you to the anon for the prompt. This had actually come from a post I made on my tumblr a couple of days ago. I'm not sure how the idea came to mind, but I had asked what everyone would think if I killed Barry or Tracey off. An hour or so later a prompt was requested and this is the result. **

**I am currently posting this via my phone and this will be the first and last time I do this. It's annoying to delete everything from a previous document and add this in and try to edit everything since I can't upload a brand new document from my phone. I'll post this now and edit any grammar mistakes later once I get home from work. For now I'm sorry for any horrible spelling or grammar. **

**If you have any questions for the tower, leave them on my tumblr. If you have any prompts you'd like to see me write I accept any types. AU or non-AU. Just leave them on my tumblr, PM me here, or in a review. **

**Thank you everyone for the support! You guys are amazing!**

**UPDATE: **

**Okay I finally got home and was able to reread this chapter and correct all the grammar and spelling errors I had. I hope you guys like this chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

Tracey rushed into the room holding her stomach. She felt sick and she knew she was going to be sick. She quickly slammed the door, not wanting anyone in the castle to see her in this state. She grabbed the bucket of water from the corner one of the servants must have left after cleaning the room. Next thing she knew she was throwing up her breakfast.

She panted after throwing up a couple more times. Tears were in her eyes from the exertion. She sat on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

Had breakfast been bad? It had to have been food poisoning. Nothing else came to mind that could have caused her to be this sic-

Her eyes widened. It couldn't be. Could it?

She stared down at her stomach and placed a hand over it. Was she finally pregnant? Was she and Bucky going to have a child? Was the kingdom going to have an heir?

An heir.

"Oh no…" she whispered.

What if it wasn't a boy? What would Bucky do? Her eyes widened even more. Would he replace her and find a different wife? She had heard of kings having multiple wives when the first didn't have a boy to be the heir.

She trembled from the nerves and because of the next wave of nausea.

She grabbed the bucket and emptied her stomach of what was left in it. She didn't even hear the door open and someone call her name, rushing to her side.

"Tracey?" Bucky said, placing a hand on her back. He began to rub soft circles on it as she continued to vomit. "Tracey, what's wrong?"

Once the queen was better she sat up and gave her husband a small smile. "I uh I think it was breakfast. Maybe something was bad. Something did taste off about it." Now that she thought of it, the food did taste strange. That just made her suspicions and worries increase.

"Should I let the servants in the kitchen know?" the king asked, continuing to rub circles on her back.

Tracey shook her head. "No no. It's fine."

"Are you sure?" he asked, receiving a nod. He looked where they were sitting and carefully helped her up. "Come on, let's get you to somewhere more comfortable. I'll have the doctor come look at you."

The blonde woman's heart skipped a beat. If he got the doctor he'd know for sure if she was pregnant. But she nodded either way. She couldn't just refuse having the doctor come see her. She was throwing up in a mop bucket for God's sake!

"Just rest," Bucky said, helping her sit on some pillows he laid out. He kissed the top of her head. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

ooOOoo

As the doctor asked questions and checked her, Tracey sat tensed. She wanted to know if she was pregnant. She wanted to have a family, but what if it wasn't a boy? What would Bucky do then?

The doctor, a man named Bruce, stared up at her after one last question. He stared at her as if processing something. Finally he spoke after another minute of silence.

"Your Majesty, you claim that the food was bad, that it tasted funny correct?" he asked Tracey. She nodded and he nodded in return. He turned to Bucky. "You had the same thing as her, Your Majesty?"

Bucky nodded. "Yes, but it didn't taste any different than normal."

"I thought so," Bruce said, nodding his head. He sat back in his chair and took his glasses off, cleaning them on his shirt. He turned back to the queen as he placed them back on his face. "Your Majesty, the symptoms you've told me about: the sickness and the strange taste of your food, I'm positive that you being sick has nothing to do with bad food."

Tracey's heart skipped a beat. Oh no…

"Then what's wrong with her?" Bucky asked, placing a hand on her back and taking her hand in his other.

Bruce gave the king and queen a smile as he sat up straight. "Your Majesties, you're going to have a baby."

Tracey's heart again skipped a beat; her eyes widened. "I'm pregnant?" she barely got out above a whisper.

Bucky's face broke out into a smile as the doctor got up to let the couple have time to themselves with the news. The king turned to his wife and grabbed her in an embrace. "Tracey, we're going to have a baby!"

Tracey gave a small smile once he released her from the hug. "Ye-yeah…"

The king frowned at his queen's uneasiness. "Is everything okay?"

"Of course!" she said, putting on a smile.

Bucky shook his head. "Tracey, I know you enough to know when something is bothering you." He stared at her with worried eyes. "You can tell me anything, you know? I'm always here for you," he said, placing a hand on her cheek.

The queen leaned into his hand, smiling at his sincerity and concern. Sitting up, she sighed trying to think of what to say. _Best solution I guess is just be blunt about it, _she thought. She took a deep, shaky breath. "I'm…I'm scared."

The husband blinked. "Scared of what?"

"I'm scared of what it will be. A boy or a girl," she said, looking down at her hands. "I'm scared that it won't be a boy and you'll go find someone else…"

"Oh, Tracey," Bucky breathed. He took her hands in his, squeezing them. "Tracey, darling, I don't care what the baby will be. Boy, girl, it won't matter to me. I'm having a child with you and I couldn't be happier." He put a hand under her chin, lifting it up when she looked back down at her lap. "Forget the whole heir thing, if our baby is a girl she will be beautiful like her mother."

"But what about the heir? You need a boy to be heir," Tracey stated frantically. "Won't you just find someone else to have a boy?"

Bucky shook his head. "I only want you, darling. No one else matters to me, but you. I love you." He smiled, leaning his head towards his wife's. "And if anything, we can try again," he grinned, kissing her lips then her neck.

Tracey giggled and squirmed as he wrapped his arms around her. "I love you too, Bucky," she said, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Don't worry too much, Tracey," he said, stroking her hair as he held her tightly. "I want us to be happy for our child. No matter what the baby will be, I will love it and you with all my heart," he said, kissing her head.

**Thank you to the anon who sent in this prompt! I've finally caught up with my prompts and have finished my list! I think it's safe to say that I've gotten a little bit of my inspiration back. Also more good news, I'm off work for the next three days! WOO! Thank God I am tired and need to catch up on sleep haha. **

**Like I said, that is my last prompt in my inbox. If you have any prompts you'd like to see me write, feel free to send them into my tumblr, PM me here, or leave them in a review. Also if you have any questions for the Avengers, Madison twins, and anyone else in the tower, feel free to leave a message on my tumblr!**

**My tumblr is winter-is-ending**

**Thank you to everyone for your reviews, favorites, and follows. They mean a lot to me! Thank you so much! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Trigger warning: rape **

"I-I-I-I'm sorry!" Tracey stuttered out. She quickly sat up on the bed, pushing the man off of her. "I'm sorry. I can't do this."

"What the fuck! Are you kidding me?" the man shouted as he sat up. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he repeated, throwing his hands in the air.

"I'm sorry," the blonde said as she stood up. She quickly grabbed her coat and purse from the arm chair in the corner of the room. "He-here," she said, holding out the money he had given her beforehand.

He snatched the bills from her hand and glared at her. "Whatever."

Tracey ducked her head as she pulled on her coat and made her way to the door. She could feel the man's heated glare on the back of her head. As she closed the door she chewed her cheek when she heard him mutter "stupid whore".

Outside she pulled her coat tighter around her as the wind picked up. She kept her head down as she pushed her way past the (surprisingly) many people walking the streets tonight. She sighed and pulled against her coat once more.

_That was the fifth time since I got this job…_ she thought to herself. _Way to go, Tracey. You're definitely going to get fired now. And how am I going to pay rent now?_

Those and many other thoughts swarmed in her head as she made her way to her apartment. She was lost in her thoughts that the trip to the building and to her door went by without her even realizing it. Looking up at her door she sighed and pulled her purse in front of her. She began digging around inside for her keys.

"Oh hey, Tracey."

The woman turned around to see her neighbor across from her walking out of his door. He smiled at her after locking the door. He stuffed his hands in his coat pockets.

"Hi, Bucky," she greeted, giving the dark haired man a small smile.

"Getting back from work?" he asked.

"Uh yeah yeah…" she answered. She mentally sighed in relief, grateful that he didn't know what her actual job was. She couldn't tell anyone. She'd be humiliated. She hadn't even told her twin brother!

Bucky nodded. He looked down at his feet before looking back up at her. "Listen, I was wondering-"

"Miss Madison!"

The man and woman turned to see their landlord, Mr. Davidson, walking up to them. A glare was on his face as he approached the blonde woman.

"Mr. Davidson. The rent, I uh…" Her eyes flickered from the landlord to Bucky, who was looking back down at his feet, clearly trying to keep himself out of the conversation.

"I want last month's rent," the older man stated.

"I-I understand," Tracey stuttered, nodding her head furiously.

"Tracey…I'll uh see you later," Bucky said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.

Mr. Davidson looked to Bucky as he walked away before glaring back at the woman in front of him. "Either you get it to me by next Monday or you're out of here!"

Bucky looked back one last time, catching the look of fear and worry on Tracey's face. He pursed his lips as he turned back to head down the stairs.

ooOOoo

"That's the tenth time this month!"

Tracey flinched as her "boss" yelled at her. She lowered her head as she took the yelling. She deserved it. She wasn't doing her "work" since she started.

"How hard is it to do what you do?" he yelled. "All you have to do is sleep with these horny assholes!"

"I-I know. I'm sorry," she squeaked.

"Holy shit! You're sorry? I'm sorry I hired you!" He jabbed a finger in the air, pointing towards the door. "Get out!"

"Ye-yes, sir…" Tracey said, hustling out of the room.

Just as the night last week, she ducked her head as she made her way down the street. It was Monday night. The night she had to pay rent. She didn't have the money, which mean she was going to be evicted. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying to hold back the tears. She didn't know where shew was going to live. She could go back to Georgia and move in with her mom until she found a job. But she loved it here in New York. She couldn't leave. Heck! She couldn't even afford a plane ticket to get to Georgia.

"Hey, sweetheart!"

Tracey's head snapped up and saw that there was a man a few feet in front of her. Looking around she noticed that tonight there wasn't anyone around. The streets were surprisingly bare at the part of the city. She turned back to the man and saw him walking towards her. Her heart rate picked up. She held her head up and continued on her way. Maybe if she ignored him she'd be able to just walk past him without any confrontation.

"Hey, babe, where you going?" the man asked, a grin on his face. He whistled a low whistle as he got closer to her. "Man! You are a pretty thing!"

Tracey stared at him before turning back front and continued on her way to her apartment. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt him grab her arm.

"Hang on, babe, I just want to talk," he said, his eyes slowly looking her up and down. A disturbing grin made its way onto his face. "How about you come home with me?"

"Leave me alone," she said, yanking her arm from his grasp and glaring at him.

The grin grew. "Oh feisty. I like that," he said, stepping closer to her.

"I said leave me alone," she restated, pushing him away. She moved past him but was yanked back.

"Come on, babe," he said, pulling her closer to him. "One night with me and you'll be begging for more."

"Get off!" she yelled as he pulled her with him. Her eyes widened when she saw him pulling her to the alley to their right. "Let me go!"

She gasped as she was pushed to the ground. Trying to stand up, she was pushed back down and was staring up at the grinning face of the man. Her eyes widened and her breathing grew rapid.

"Calm down, sweetheart," he said, grabbing her jeans. "We're just gonna have some fun."

"No! Please no! Let me go!" she screamed. She was in hysterics now, pushing as hard as she could to get the man off her. "Help!"

ooOOoo

Bucky sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. Leave it to Stark to make an hour meeting go longer than needed. He stuffed his hands in his coat pockets as he hunched into himself, trying to keep himself war. His head was down as he tried to hide his face in the scarf he had around his neck as he trudged along to his apartment.

A block away from the apartment and he was nearly knocked onto his butt as something ran into him. He looked up to see a man glaring at him as he stood in front of the alley he was passing.

"Sorry," Bucky said.

"Watch it, punk!" the man snarled, pushing past him and bumping his shoulder.

"Asshole…" Bucky grumbled as he glared at the man's back.

He turned back to continue his trek home, but froze when he heard sobbing. He turned his head towards the alley on his right. It was coming from there. He moved towards it and as he got closer he could make out that it was a woman who was crying. His eyes widened as the realization dawned on him The man. The woman.

"Shit!" he cursed under his breath. He rushed into the alley and looked around. "Hello?" he called out. He froze when he saw who the crying belonged to. "Oh my god…"

There was Tracey on the ground curled up in a ball. Her clothes were ripped up here and there and he swore he saw blood on her temple that wasn't buried in her arms.

He quickly knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder. He removed it when he felt her flinch. "Tracey…" he said, softly.

Tracey moved her head slightly, making the tears and bloodshot eyes more visible. Her eyes widened when she saw the dark haired man. "Bu-Bucky?"

"Hey hey shhh," he soothed when he felt her start to tremble. He rubbed soft circles on her back as he used his other hand to pull out his phone. "Everything is going to be okay, Tracey…" he said as he dialed 9-1-1. "Everything is going to be okay."

ooOOoo

"Are you the one who brought Tracey Madison in?" a nurse asked as she approached Bucky.

The man's head snapped up and quickly nodded. "Yes, I am."

"You can see her now," she said, giving him a small smile.

"Thank you," he said, following her to the room.

Stepping in he found Tracey sitting in a chair listening to the doctor as he spoke softly and calmly to her. Her eyes shifted to Bucky and she froze. The doctor noticed and turned around.

"Can I help you?" he asked, eyeing Bucky.

"I'm the man who brought Tracey in," he said slowly. "I'm her neighbor."

"Ah," the doctor said, standing up. He turned back to Tracey and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm really sorry that happened. If you need anything, don't be afraid to call me."

"Thank you," Tracey whispered as he walked away.

"Thank you for bringing her in," he said to Bucky before he walked out.

It was silent between the two after the doctor left. Bucky watched as Tracey stared down at her lap. He watched as she wrung her hands together and pulled at the hem of her shirt. He noticed the hole in her shirt at her right shoulder and pulled off his jacket. He smiled at her when she flinched as he placed it around her shoulders.

He knelt down in front of her and took her hand in his. "Tracey…I'm so so sorry this happened…" He squeezed her hand when he saw her bite her lip as tears feel to her lap. "Was this…was this to do with your work?"

Tracey whipped her head up, eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar. "Wh-what?"

"I'm sorry!" he said quickly, backtracking his question. "I-I kinda figured what your work was after a week." He cleared his throat. "I didn't want to say anything. You were always so quiet about it, I didn't think you were that kind of person and you didn't seem to like it and I'll just shut up now…" He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling awkward and that he overstepped a boundary with his rambling about the topic. "I'm sorry…"

Tracey stared down at her lap again before quietly saying, "I never slept with any of them…"

"What?" Bucky blinked.

"I never slept with any of my…" She cleared her throat. "Clients…"

"Then why did you keep going back?" he asked slowly, unsure if she wanted to continue with this topic.

"I needed the money to pay rent, but…I couldn't do it. I didn't know them and it didn't feel right for me. I always thought my first time would be with someone I love, not some random guy who pulled me off the street. Especially not this…" she said, her voice getting quieter at the end. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears dripping onto her jeans and darkening the fabric where they landed, making tiny plip sounds. "I was fired because of that."

Bucky squeezed her hand. "That's nothing to be upset about. If it means anything I didn't think any less of you."

Tracey looked up at him with wide eyes as he gave her a small smile. Her lip trembled as she started to cry harder. I was fired today. I-I was fired and I was on my-my way home whe-when…"

Bucky placed a hand over her hands, joining his left hand that was already covering hers. "Tracey, shhh, it's okay."

"I tried to push him off! I tried calling for help! I tried! I tried!"

Bucky quickly pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair as he shushed her. "Tracey, it's okay. It's not your fault. It's not your fault."

"I'm scared, Bucky…" she whimpered. "I'm scared because he's still out there and I don't have anywhere to go. My rent was due today and I don't have the money. I don't know what to do."

The dark haired man leaned back, wiping the tears from her face as he shushed her again. He paused as they stared at each other. Tracey hiccupped a few times as she tried to regain her normal breathing. Bucky smiled and wiped one lone tear away.

You can stay with me."

"What?" she croaked out.

"You can stay with me, Tracey," he said, smiling at her. "I'm not going to let you live on the streets. I'll help any way I can." He squeezed her hand again. "Don't worry. I have enough room for you to stay."

Tracey pursed her lips as her bottom lip began to quiver again. She burst out into another fit of tears and sobs. "Th-thank you!"

Bucky wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight to him. He smiled lightly when he felt her wrap her arms around him, clinging to his shirt. He smiled, glad to know that she could find a safe place with him. He was going to find the asshole who did this to her. He swore on his life he was going to find the scumbag who did this to Tracey. He was going to kill him if he was the one to find him.

He shushed Tracey, stroking her hair as she sobbed into his shoulder. "Everything is going to be okay, Tracey."

**This chapter originally came from an idea my friend Darkargo (check out her stories! She's an amazing writer!) came up with her character and Tracey. Hers was more funny involving her character finding Bucky to be Tracey's client because she's shy as crap while her character would basically be like "You're not worthy" to all her clients. That was her idea to make something funny. I kind of wanted to go with a different route and created this AU chapter. **

**I have more ideas for this AU in mind. If you'd like to see another chapter to follow up with this one, please message me or leave a comment in a review. Thanks!**

**I gave the trigger warning at the beginning because I know that this sort of thing can happen to anyone. If this has happened to any of my readers, I don't want them to have to relive it.**

**To any of you who have had this sort of thing happen to them, I want you to know it's not your fault and that everything will be okay. If you ever need someone to talk to I am here. If you don't want to talk about this subject in general I understand completely. I am here if you want to vent to someone about a bad day at work or at school. I am here for every one of you. Don't be afraid to send me a message. I love hearing from you and I want to be able to help in any small way that I can. **

**All my love and support to all of you. **


	9. Chapter 9

He stared at the boxes on the floor by her feet and scratched the back of his neck. He bit his lip as he looked up at her. She had her head down, shrouding her face with her hair. She gripped her right arm, pulling at her sleeve. He watched as she slowly peeked her head up and looked at him with what he could only describe as the eyes of a hurt or embarrassed child. Maybe both.

He cleared his throat and nodded his head. "Is this everything?" He bit his lip as she nodded then quickly put her head back down in its hiding place. His eyes scanned over the three boxes. Only three? He shifted his eyes up at her and made contact with hers as she stared at him, waiting for him to say something.

"The-there's a couple more in my room," she whispered.

He smiled. "No problem. Come on," he said, stacking one box on another and picking them up. He grinned at her as he peered from the side of the boxes. "No one likes unpacking anyways so it'll make it a lot easier." He smiled a bit bigger when he heard a small giggle escape her lips as she followed him across the hall to his apartment. He turned back to her after setting the boxes down in the living room and clapped his hands, still smiling at her. "I'll get the rest. You can start unpacking and make yourself at home."

Tracey nodded and gave him a tiny smile before he walked out. She set her box down and looked around her. His apartment was the same size as hers, but looked bigger than hers. It was probably because of the furniture and how he decorated. Her apartment had been furnished because she couldn't afford to get her own furniture, but here was Bucky with his own furniture. Far better than the furniture the apartment complex provided. Was he rich or something? The walls were a plain white color, but they were fresh, new, and bright unlike the old peeling wallpaper that was hers. She chewed her cheek as she turned around in her spot, staring at the rest of the room. The furniture in the living room consisted of plump, clean couch and chairs. She stared down at her feet and quickly busied herself with unpacking her things. She sighed as she pulled out some clothes. Where was she going to put this? Where was she going to put any of this? She didn't want to invade his space and he was already offering her to stay with him. Maybe she should just leave everything in their boxes and just use that as her space. She paused as she folded a sweater back up and her eyes grew wide. How was she going to help him pay for his rent? She couldn't just not pay him!

"Okay," Bucky grunted as he lowered the remaining boxes onto the kitchen floor. He scratched the back of his head as he stared at them and turned to her. "So- Why haven't you unpacked yet?" he asked, tilting his head a bit as he stared at the woman on the floor with the three boxes surrounding her.

"I uh figured I'd just use them for storage…" she said, rubbing her arm.

"Tracey, you can use my closet for your clothes and anything else that you'll need for your things," he said, giving her a warm smile. He sat on the ground next to her, crossing his legs, and pulling a box towards him. "You can also take the bed if you'd like. I can just sleep on the couch."

"What?" Tracey exclaimed. "No no no! You don't have to do that. I can take the couch. Honestly."

Bucky chuckled, watching her as she shook her head frantically. "Tracey, seriously, don't worry about it. I've fallen asleep on the couch plenty of times. It's not that bad. Just take my bed."

Tracey lowered her head, staring at her lap. "Thank you…" she whispered. She looked up at him, watching as he unpacked some items from the box in front of him. "Um…Bucky? When do you want the rent?"

"Rent? No, don't worry about that. You don't have to help with the rent," he said, shaking his head at her.

"A-are you sure? I'd hate to stay here without helping with re-"

The dark haired man held up his hand, stopping her, as he shook his head. "Tracey, I mean it. Don't worry about it."

"Okay…" she whispered.

"Tracey," Bucky said, placing a hand on her knee. "I mean it, you don't have to worry about paying me back. I just want you to feel safe."

The blonde woman gave him a weak smile and nodded. "Thank you, Bucky."

ooOOoo

A few weeks had gone by since Tracey had moved into Bucky's apartment. It was mostly quiet since she moved in. Although to him it didn't make much of a difference. Living by yourself wasn't exactly the loudest thing without roommates. But it worried Bucky. Since the incident Tracey hasn't been the same talkative girl like when he first met her when she moved into the apartment complex. However, he couldn't blame her for being quiet. That asshole who attacked her practically made her vulnerable!

Bucky yawned as he walked into the kitchen, scratching the back of his neck as he stretched his arms above his head. He padded to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of orange juice. He blinked when he saw Tracey sitting at the counter, staring at a bowl of cereal that looked beyond edible and had soaked in the milk for way too long.

"Good morning, Tracey," he said, giving her a smile.

"Good morning, Bucky," she replied quietly. "Oh!" She pulled an envelope out of her pocket and held it out to him. "It's all the money I have…for this month's rent…" she explained, seeing the confused look on the man's face.

"No no no, Tracey, no," he said, quickly shaking his head and pushing the envelope back to her. "Do not do that. You don't have to pay for rent. Especially not all of your money."

"Is there any way can pay you back?" she asked, hesitantly taking the envelope back.

Bucky pursed his lips as he thought it over, but shook his head yet again. "Nope, but since you really want to pay me back I'll let you know if something comes to mind."

"Okay…"

ooOOoo

Two months had passed by then. The apartment was quiet as always. Tracey still didn't say much and it seemed to Bucky that she didn't eat much either. It really worried Bucky. He really wanted to get his hands on that asshole. He'd kill him for what he did to her.

Bucky was currently staring up at the ceiling with an arm behind his head. It was past midnight and he could still hear the horns from the remaining cars that were travelling home for the night – well morning. So much was on his mind from work with Stark to the worries he had about the woman that was asleep in his bed room.

Speaking of his bedroom…

He sat up straight on the couch, staring at the door to his room. His brow was furrowed, but his brows quickly shot up when he heard screaming. Bolting off the couch he ran to the door and wrenched it open. He looked to and fro for whatever was causing the woman to scream. Nothing was there. Tracey continued to scream, thrashing about in the sheets. She was asleep.

"Tracey!" Bucky called out, rushing to her side. He grabbed her shoulders, hoping to keep her still. "Tracey, wake up! It's a dream!"

"No! Please get off of me!" she screamed, her arms flailing.

"Tracey, please wake up!"

The blonde woman's eyes shot open and she sat up right only to collide foreheads with the man who was trying to wake her up. She rubbed her head and quickly apologized over and over again as Bucky held his head in one of his hands.

He waved the other hand, quieting her. "It's fine," he grunted. He cleared his throat and lifted his head. He could already tell he was going to have a major headache for the rest of the night. He turned his attention to the woman, who was staring at him with wide eyes. "Tracey…are you okay?"

She nodded slowly, keeping her eyes on the sheets in front of her. She peeked her eyes up at him and quickly shifted them back to staring at the sheets.

"Tracey…it was only a dream," he said, placing a hand on hers. "You're safe, I promise you."

"I know…but…I just…" She squeezed her eyes shut and felt him squeeze her hand. "I just…I just don't feel completely safe. He's still out there, the police haven't caught him. I just don't feel safe."

Bucky smiled, squeezing her hand again. "Well, maybe now you will. The police called today… Tracey, they caught him yesterday. He's in jail now."

"What?" Tracey said, her eyes starting to brim with tears. "They-they caught him?"

"Yeah, you don't have to worry about him ever again." His smile fell. "I would have told you yesterday or earlier today, but you were asleep when I went to tell you."

The blonde's eyes grew. "I'm sorry… I wasn't asleep…"

The man blinked. "Then why didn't you answer when I went to tell you?"

"I don't know… I'm sorry. I haven't been sleeping at all really…" she said, wringing her hands. "I'm sorry."

"Have you been having more nightmares other than this one?" She nodded her head. "Oh, Tracey, why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to bother you? I'm already causing you trouble living with you," she said, her brow furrowing in worry.

"You're not bothering me and I offered to let you stay here. You're no trouble," he said, smiling at her. He squeezed her hand again and smiled at her when she lifted her head up. "Hey…you know how I said if you wanted to pay me back I'd think of something?"

"Yes…"

"How about you don't pay me for rent, but you let me take you out to dinner," he said, his smiling growing at her shocked face.

"Dinner? Me?"

"Yeah, I've been wanting to ask you since a little after you moved into your apartment," he said, chuckling nervously. "Honestly, if you'd rather not you won't hurt my feelin-"

"Yes," she said barely above a whisper.

"Yes?" Bucky said, a smile growing on his face. "Great!"

Tracey bit her lip, trying to hide the smile on her face. The look on Bucky's face was one of the biggest smiles she had ever seen on the man's face that made you smile as well.

"I'll uh…let you get back to sleep," he said, standing up. "I have work again tomorrow, so I ne-"

"No! Please don't leave!" Tracey exclaimed, grabbing his hand. "Can you stay with me tonight?" she said, her eyes pleading up at him.

Bucky took a minute to regain composure after being taken aback from her sudden outburst. He nodded, "Of course."

He climbed into bed, pulling the sheets over them. He couldn't help the small smile that made its way onto his lips when Tracey curled up next to him. He placed an arm around her, pulling her closer.

"I promise you, Tracey, you're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you," he whispered as she rested her head against his chest.

"Thank you, Bucky…for everything," she whispered back as she closed her eyes, praying to get sleep tonight. Maybe she'd be able to now that the man was in jail and with Bucky by her side. She felt safe with him. She barely knew him, but there was something about him that has made her feel safer since she moved in. She was grateful to her neighbor from across the hall.

**So here's the second and final part to the chapter before this. I really wanted to continue this. I had so many other ideas to go with this, but this series isn't based on this one AU and I wanted to finish it so here it is! I hope you liked it!**

**If you'd like to ask the Avengers, Madison twins, and anyone else in the tower any questions, leave me a message on my tumblr. If you have a prompt you'd like to see me write, leave me a message on my tumblr, PM me here, or leave it in a review. **

**Thank you guys for the support and love!**


	10. Chapter 10

"Bucky?"

Steve rolled his eyes as he stared at his friend. The dark haired boy next to him had been staring across the cafeteria. Far from their table was a girl and boy sitting by themselves. The girl was smiling and laughing at whatever the boy was saying, which only seemed to make Bucky even madder. The dark haired boy had his arms on the table on each side of his tray of food. His hands were clenched into fists and his brow was furrowed. He might as well be growling in Steve's opinion.

"Bucky!"

"What?" Bucky growled out.

_Called it, _Steve thought. He sighed as he looked at his best friend. "Buck, you need to calm down and stop staring at them."

"You think it's that easy?" Bucky shot at him. "I can't stand that guy."

"You don't like him only because he's dating Tracey," Barry piped in, chewing on a bite from his apple. "Look sorry, dude, but Tracey's happy and Eric is a nice guy. I know him pretty well since we're on the track team together."

"Great, just what I wanted to hear," Bucky grumbled.

"Well what did you want to hear, Buckaroo?" Tony said, rolling his eyes. He rolled them again when Bucky glared at him. "Look, Mona Lisa is happy. You want her to be happy right?"

"Yes…"

"Then stop moping and eat your damn tacos!" the science geek stated, taking a bite of his own tacos. "Gotta love Taco Tuesday!"

"Amen to that!" Clint said, high fiving the dark haired kid. He turned to Bucky and patted his back. "I get why you're mad, but seriously, she's happy and you want her to be happy. Sure she's not with you and sure you could make her even happier, but let's face it she's no- OW!" The light brown haired teen turned to glare at his girlfriend as she glared back at him.

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence, Barton," Natasha said, pointing her fork at him. Her face softened when she turned to Bucky. "Bucky, we all get it. We wanted you and Tracey to get together. I asked if you wanted help and you said no. I respect that, but you can't just spend the rest of your high school life moping about a girl you couldn't get. I'm sorry, but it's the truth."

"Then tell me what he has that I don't have!" Bucky nearly shouted, pounding a fist on the table.

"Well for starters he has Tracey. OW!" Clint said, rubbing the back of his head as he glared at Steve.

Steve shook his head, furrowing his brow at his friend. "Buck, I know you're upset, but Natasha's right. You can't spend the rest of your high school years moping over Tracey."

"If it helps," Bruce began, taking a sip from his milk carton, "I don't think it'll last."

Bucky raised a brow. "Why do ya think that?"

"Well for starters we are in _high school_. It's a high school couple. Most of those don't last long. I don't think Tracey and Eric will last til the end of the year. Yes, he's nice and yes they seem happy, but it's only sophomore year for Tracey and junior year for Eric. It probably won't last."

Bucky sighed, nodding his head as he cast his gaze towards the blonde girl across the room. He pursed his lips and nodded again. He turned to his best friend when he felt him place a hand on his shoulder.

"Have faith, Buck. You never know what will happen," the blonde teen said with a small smile.

"Right…" Bucky said, staring at Tracey one last time before he went back to eating his lunch.

**Thank you to the anon who sent in the prompt. I hope you liked it and sorry he didn't end up with Tracey. I kinda wanted to go for a more realistic high school based on my experience from my high school years. **

**If you have any questions for the Avengers, Madison twins, and anyone else in the tower, feel free to leave a message on my tumblr. If you have a prompt you'd like to see written, send in a message on my tumblr, PM me here, or leave it in a review. **

**My tumblr is winter-is-ending. **

**Thank you for the support guys!**


	11. Chapter 11

He stared at her from the rock he sat on. The sun was shining down on the ocean water, reflecting like diamonds. But in his opinion, nothing shined brighter than her smile. She was so close, but so far away all at once. He was bound to the water and she was bound to the land. The world he couldn't be a part of. Sure he didn't know anything about her. He had never even spoken to her. How could? He couldn't exactly walk up to her and introduce himself. No, he couldn't. Not with his tail. He could only swim up to her. Even then, what would he say to her? Hi, I've been watching you from a distance and I think you're the most beautiful being I've ever seen? No! She could run away from him. She could laugh. She could even send out people to catch him. He's heard others around the kingdom warn him not to go near humans. But how could he resist not observing them and wondering what their world was like. He longed to just meet one human. Talk to them. Get to know them. He believed that humans weren't evil. And then there was her. She proved his theory. Every day he saw her, there was a smile on her face and she'd always be helping people around her. She proved it his theory. But here he was, unable to find the courage to even talk to her. A coward to even do what he's longed to do and talk to a human.

He sighed as he continued to stare at her as she walked along the beach's shore. Her hair blonde hair was pulled back into a messy bun, keeping it from getting in her face as the wind blew around her. Her boots were in her hands, allowing her bare feet to walk in the water and sand. In her other hand she had her dress bunched up, keeping it from getting wet. She was beautiful. And yet here he was, only watching, not knowing more about her.

"Knew it."

Bucky turned around to see his best friend, Steve, swimming up to the rock he was sitting on. The dark haired merman sighed, rolling his eyes. "What do you want, Steve?"

"I was just wondering where you were and to see if I was right," the blonde merman said, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Right about what?" Bucky asked, raising a brow.

"That you were up here watching her again," Steve said, nodding to the blonde woman on the shore.

"Whatever you have to say I don't care," Bucky huffed, turning his attention back to the woman.

"I wasn't going to say anything. I just wanted to see who the girl was," the other merman said, casting his gaze to the woman on the beach. "She's pretty."

Beautiful is more like it is what Bucky wanted to say. But instead he remained silent.

"You like her right?" Steve rolled his eyes when his best friend didn't respond. "For Poseidon's sake, Buck! Just go up and talk to her! And I would do it now, she's leaving."

Bucky looked back to the woman and sure enough she was rushing along the shore, staring up at a man standing on a dock. A pang of jealousy went through the dark haired merman as he watched the man look down at her. Who was he? He hadn't seen him before. "It's too late," Bucky mumbled as the woman reached the man. He watched as they walked along the dock, talking amongst themselves.

"Buck, seriously. Just take a chance and talk to her. You clearly like her and you're constantly talking about how you believe humans aren't all evil. If you believe that, take a chance," Steve said, shaking his head.

Bucky sighed once more. "Maybe tomorrow," he said, before jumping off the rock and diving into the water. He definitely wasn't up for it now, not after seeing her with that man.

ooOOoo

He looked everywhere. He had checked the docks. He had checked the beach. No matter where he looked, he couldn't find her. He was growing worried. Was she okay? Was she sick? Was she hurt? Where was she?

He was swimming back under water, hoping to get Steve's help with finding her. He groaned. He sounded like a love sick fish. He still didn't know her and yet he wanted to make sure she was okay.

He was nearly to the place where Steve and Sharon lived when he saw a shadow cast over him. Looking up he saw a ship slowly making its way across the surface of the water. Narrowing his eyes he spotted figures by the rails. A group of men and what looked like a woman. The sun casted some rays of light on them as the clouds moved across the sky giving the merman a better look at them. He smiled when he caught sight of blonde hair in the sunlight. However, his heart skipped a beat when he saw the group of men cornering her. He watched as one man grabbed her, wrapping rope around her hands and threatening to put a cloth around her mouth. Bucky's eyes widened in fury. How could someone do something like this to someone like her?

He quickly swam to the surface and stayed along the bottom of the ship. He strained his ears, trying to make out what the men were saying.

"Miss Madison," one man out of the entire group spoke out. He must be the captain, judging by how the rest of the men stood behind him.

"It's Tracey," the woman spat.

Tracey? So that was her name. He tried to lift himself up a bit using the wooden planks of the ship's body and listen further, but the waves that were hitting the side of the boat were making it impossible to hear everything. He was able to make out a few words. "Brother", "information", and "trade route". What were they talking about?

His eyes widened when he saw them pushing across a piece of wood. His brow furrowed. He wished he could do more than just swim around the bottom of the ship and do nothing. But he was too late. He watched as the woman, Tracey, was pushed off the side of the ship and fall into the water, with no possible way to swim back to the surface. He dove down, swimming as fast as he could. He could see her. She was only a few feet away. He pushed himself and reached a hand out and grabbed her. Quickly surfacing back, he took a look at the ship and was relieved to see it keeping up its course and heading in the opposite direction of the shore.

Reaching the shore, he pulled Tracey onto shore, laying her down. He stared at the ropes for a moment before he began to tug at them. Eventually he was able to get them off, but Tracey was still not moving. He stared at her. He didn't know what to do. How to help. The questions kept flowing into his head until he saw her twitch. A smile of relief grew on the merman's face as he watched her slowly wake up.

Oh no… She was waking up. What was he supposed to do? Stay? Flee?

Her eyes opened up to reveal a pair of the most beautiful brown eyes he had ever seen. Well…it was too late to flee.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Tracey asked as she slowly sat up and looked around. "What happened to the pirates? I was just pushed into the water…" She paused as she stared at the man next to her. No, he wasn't a man. "You're a mermaid?"

Bucky frowned, his brow twitching at the term she chose. "Merman," he corrected.

"Oh, uh sorry," the blonde woman said, giving the merman a sheepish smile. She paused again. Silence falling between the two. "So…you rescued me then?"

"Yes," Bucky answered. "I couldn't let them kill you."

A smile grew on the woman's face, along with a hint of a blush. "Thank you, um…"

"Uh Bucky," the merman said, a small smile on his face. "You can call me Bucky."

"Bucky? Alright. Thank you again."

"Of course."

The two looked up when they heard someone shouting Tracey's name. Down the beach they saw the man who Tracey was with the other day.

Bucky frowned. He knew fully well what that meant. Tracey would be leaving with him again. He looked to her, the frown on his face lessening just a bit. "I guess you have to go?"

"Yeah, that's my brother," she said. She looked at the merman and smiled. "Can I see you again tomorrow?"

A smile broke out on the merman's face. "Yes," he said, a bit too enthusiastically.

Tracey giggled, music to Bucky's ears. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye, Bucky," she said, waving as she walked towards her brother down the beach.

Bucky watched as she left, the smile remaining on his face. He couldn't believe that he had actually talked to a human. Especially with Tracey. He shook his head. He was never going to hear the end of Steve saying he was right in telling him to take a chance. He dove back down, excited for the meeting tomorrow with Tracey.

**Thank you to ladyjthewriter (tumblr) for the prompt! I honestly love writing mermaid/merman prompts, considering that The Little Mermaid is my favorite Disney movie. I hope this was good. **

**If you'd like to ask the Avengers, Madison twins, and anyone else in the tower any questions, feel free to leave a message on my tumblr. If you have any prompts you'd like me to write, AU or non-AU, feel free to message me on tumblr, PM me here, or leave it in a review. **

**My tumblr is winter-is-ending**

**Thank you for the support everyone!**


	12. Chapter 12

Bucky let go of Annabeth's hand as they walked up to the building. He bent down to her level and smiled as she smiled brightly at him. Children and parents stood around them as they said goodbye to their own children or they walked their kids into the building. Bucky waved at a few familiar faces from every Monday and Wednesday afternoon when he dropped Annabeth off.

He fixed Annabeth's jacket, pulling it tighter around her as the chilled August air blew around them. He looked at the rest of her outfit. Tights and a leotard with ballet shoes tied securely to her feet. Thank God for the jacket. He still didn't know how she wasn't freezing. But then again she was an energetic five year old who ran around everywhere.

He fixed a bobby pin in her hair before he looked her in the eyes. "You're having fun here, right?" he asked.

"Yes!" Annabeth said with a little jump.

Her dad grinned. "Good. And you're going to have fun today, right?"

"Yes! Lots of fun!" she cheered.

Bucky smiled warmly as he gave her one final hug. "I'm proud of you, baby girl. I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy!"

Bucky watched as she ran up to the building walking in with another little girl with red hair. He waved at Natasha as she and Clint walked back to their car. He looked back to Annabeth, watching her disappear into the tall building.

He sighed as he turned back to the parking lot. Seeing his little girl happy made his heart swell. But it also ached. She looked and acted so much like her mother. Her brown hair and brown eyes, her smile, they all reminded him of Connie. God he missed her. It has been two years since she passed away and he still missed her. But he knew she wouldn't want him to be sad all the time. She'd want him to be happy for Annabeth's sake. He was. But he still missed her.

ooOOoo

"Very good, class!" Tracey said, smiling brightly at all the little girls and the few boys that were standing at the balance bar. "Next let's do our plie exercise."

Tracey walked up and down the line of children, helping those who were struggling with feet and hands. She would place her hands on their shoulders to get them to relax or she'd place her hands on their stomachs to get them to stand taller. Some she showed hand positions and footing. She smiled brightly and praised them as they worked hard.

She smiled brightly at Annabeth and Rose when she reached the two little girls. "Very good, Rose. Great foot work," she said to the eight year old. She turned to Annabeth and a bright smile appeared on her face as she looked down at the five year old. "Wow, Annabeth. You look like you've been practicing."

"I have!" Annabeth announced, smiling widely up at her. "My daddy watches me and I have even taught him what you taught me!"

"Really?" the blonde woman said, laughing. "I bet your dad's a natural now!"

"No!" the little girl said giggling. "He looks silly! He's a giant! He's too big to be a ballerina!"

"Oh I don't know about that. I've seen plenty of tall men in ballets," Tracey said with a grin. "I'm sure you're dad's great." She smiled one last time to Annabeth before walking back to the front of the room. She stood next to the radio and looked at all the kids. "Okay, now let's try the exercise with the music."

ooOOoo

"Daddy! Daddy!" Annabeth called out as she ran out the dance studio's doors. She jumped into his arms, throwing her tiny arms around his neck.

"Hey, princess!" Bucky said, standing up as soon as he had her in his arms. "How was practice?"

"Fun!" she said, grinning brightly. "Miss Madison told me I am doing great! She's noticed how much I have practiced!"

"Did she now?" Bucky said, his eyes growing wide with his smile. "She must be a great teacher to notice that."

"She is!" the dark haired girl said, nodding her head furiously. "She's great! And she's nice to me and everyone else! I even told her how I taught you what she taught the class."

Bucky chuckled, shaking his head. "Really? You told her that?"

"Yeah! And I told her how you look silly doing it because you're a giant and you can't be a ballerina." She shook her head. "But she told me that she's seen tall boys as ballerinas so maybe you can be one too!"

"Oh I don't know about that. I like my job with Uncle Tony," Bucky said, placing her back on the ground.

Annabeth gasped as her face lit up. She began jumping up and down in her spot causing her dad to laugh. She grabbed his hand and tugged as hard as she could towards the studio. "You have to meet Miss Madison! You have to meet Miss Madison!"

"Alright, alright," the dark haired man shook his head, laughing as he gave in and followed Annabeth.

She pulled him as fast as she could on her tiny legs and with her strength down the hall. She quickly turned towards a door and pushed it open (with a little help from her dad) and opened it up to a large ballet studio with a mirrored wall on one side. In the corner where the radio stood connected to the sound system was a blond woman on the ground, pulling a pair of ballet shoes off her feet. She pulled a pair of brown boots on over her tights to replace the ballet shoes. As she stood up to grab her jacket she stopped when she saw the two in the mirror. Turning around she smiled brightly at them.

"Did you forget something, Annabeth?" she asked, smiling sweetly at the little girl.

Annabeth shook her head. "Nuh uh! I wanted you to meet my daddy, Miss Madison," she said, grabbing her dad's hand.

Tracey smiled and looked up at the man. "Nice to meet you, I'm Tracey Madison. You're daughter's an excellent dancer," she said sticking her hand out.

Bucky blinked as he stared at the woman in front of him. Something about the way she smiled made his heart skip a beat. He smiled and shook her hand. "Bucky Barnes. Nice to meet you, ma'am." This was Annabeth's teacher?

"Hey, Trace!" The three looked towards the door to see a man with light brown hair standing in the doorway. "I've got the car parked. I'll wait outside."

"Okay, thanks, Barry!" Tracey said, smiling brightly at him.

"Husband?" Bucky asked with a small smile.

"Oh gosh no. That's my twin brother," Tracey said with a laugh.

"Ah," the man said, nodding his head with a smile. "Yeah I thought he looked a little too much like you to be your husband."

Tracey giggled, nodding her head making Bucky smile. "Yeah, I'm not married, truth be told. I'm not in any relationship really, no biggie," she said with an amused eye roll.

"Barry's awesome! He comes by sometimes and plays games with us! He loves tag!" Annabeth stated, jumping up and down.

"Yeah he and I used to play that as kids too. That was his favorite game. He was always faster than me," Tracey said to Annabeth, making a fake pouty face causing the little girl to giggle.

"So," Bucky said slowly, raising a brow at the blonde woman as he chewed his lip. God he was an idiot for doing this, but he was taking a chance. "I hope this isn't too forward of me, but are you busy Saturday? We could grab some coffee or something."

Tracey raised a brow, a smirk on her face. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"I might be," Bucky said with a toothy smirk.

Tracey giggled as her face started to turn a light shade of pink. "I'd like that. But," she said, holding up a finger that caused the smile that formed on Bucky's lips to falter, "only if you show me what Annabeth's taught you. I heard you're a pretty good ballerina."

"Oh God," Bucky said, holding his head in one of his hands. He pursed his lips, nodding. "Deal."

Tracey giggled as she grabbed her jacket and purse. "Alright. So I'll see you on Saturday." She turned to Annabeth. "And I'll see you on Monday. Bye, Annabeth. Bye, Bucky."

Bucky waved goodbye as he watched Tracey walk out of the room. Did that just happen? Did he really just ask her out? He had only met her! But…he couldn't help but think about the past two years. By himself with only Annabeth. And the way Tracey and Annabeth interacted together was nice to see. It was refreshing. His little girl needed a woman in her life. Not her dad all the time.

"Daddy! You're going on a date with Miss Madison!" Annabeth giggled as she looked up at her dad.

"Yeah I am," Bucky said, picking her up and walking out the building. "Do you want to help me pick out what to wear?" he asked as he headed to his car.

"Yes! Everything pink!" she announced.

"I don't know about that, sweetheart," Bucky laughed. He looked across the parking lot and saw Tracey at her car. The blonde woman looked up and waved before getting into her car. He smiled as he buckled Annabeth into her car seat. Closing the door he took a deep breath. "Saturday…" He smiled as he got into the driver's seat, his mind reeling with the thoughts of this weekend.

**Thank you to the anon for the prompt. When I read it I couldn't stop smiling! This was such a cute idea! Thank you! And I'm wondering how many of you caught who Annabeth's mom is haha ;)**

**If you would like to ask the Avengers, Madison twins, and anyone else in the tower any questions, feel free to leave a message in my inbox on my tumblr. If you would like to see me write a prompt, send me a message on tumblr, PM me here, or leave it in a review.**

**My tumblr is winter-is-ending**

**Thank you for all your support!**


	13. Chapter 13

Annabeth's eyes lit up as she and her mom walked by the flower section of the grocery store. Stopping in her tracks she skipped over to them and stared up at the bright, colorful floral arrangements. There were roses of different colors, a bouquet of rainbow daisies, and so many more! She wanted to have all of them. She reached up and placed a tiny hand on a red rose. The petals were soft and made her giggle and stare in awe. She looked down a little and found single roses for sale. And they were in her reach! She bent down and sniffed, giggling again when they tickled her nose.

"Mommy, can I get one?" she asked, whipping her head around to look up at her mom. Her bright smile fell when she didn't find her next to her. She looked to and fro and didn't see her mom anywhere. Only random strangers walked by. None of them looked familiar. Her lower lip trembled as she stood there among the bustling people. "Mommy?"

She looked to her right and took a step in that direction, but stopped. She didn't know where her mom was. She didn't know if she should look for her or stay put. Her lower lip began to tremble even more and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. She didn't know what to do. She was lost! Tears began to drip down her face as she stood there crying.

"Hey, hey, sweetheart, what's wrong?" came a gentle voice.

Annabeth looked up to see a dark haired man kneeling down in front of her. He stared at her with concern as she continued to cry.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked again.

"I c-can't can't find my mommy," she whimpered out, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"Oh don't worry. I'm sure she's here somewhere. Don't cry," he said, wiping her eyes. "Come on," he said, standing up and holding out his hand. "Let's go look for her."

Annabeth stared up at him and hesitated. She stared at his hand then up at his face and shook her head, taking a step back. "My mommy told me not to talk to strangers."

The man smiled brightly and chuckled. "Well I'm glad you know that rule," he said, smiling at her. "But I promise you I'll help you find your mommy. What does she look like?"

"She-she's tall and um has really blonde hair," she stuttered. "Um…she's um…she's wearing um…a blue shirt and pants. And um…um…"

The man chuckled again and held his hand out to her once more. "Okay, I think we can find her. Come on."

Annabeth slowly took his hand and giggled when she saw his giant hand swallow her tiny hand. "You're a giant!" she exclaimed.

"I am?" the man said, shock on his face. "I don't think I should be in here then. I might put a whole in the roof!"

Annabeth giggled. "No! You're not that big!"

"But you just said I'm a giant." He shook his head, clicking his tongue. "You need to make up your mind little lady."

Annabeth giggled again, smiling brightly up at the man. "You're a giant, but not that big of a giant."

"Okay, okay," the man laughed. He smiled down at her. "What's your name?"

"Annabeth. What's yours mister?"

"My name is Bucky," the man said. "How old are you, Annabeth?"

"Four!" she declared. "I turned four two months ago!"

"Wow really? That's so cool! What did you get for your birthday?"

"I got-"

"Annabeth!"

The four year old and Bucky looked up to see a blonde woman running from her cart and towards them. She fell to her knees and grabbed the little girl in her arms, holding her tight to her. Annabeth wrapped her arms around the woman's neck, a large smile on her face.

"Mommy!"

"Oh my god, where were you?" the woman asked, eyes searching her daughter, looking for any possible injuries or something.

"I was looking at the flowers and then you were gone," Annabeth answered. "Bucky said he'd help me find you and he did!"

The woman looked up at the man as he stood behind Annabeth. She stood up and smiled at him. "Thank you so much! I was honestly scared to death there."

"No problem, ma'am," Bucky said, smiling at her. "Annabeth's a smart girl. She almost didn't follow me because I'm a stranger," he said with a chuckle.

"Well I'm glad to know one rule stayed with you," the woman said, looking down at her daughter. She turned back to Bucky. "Thank you so much again."

"No problem…uh…"

"Tracey, Tracey Anderson," she said, holding her hand out.

"James Barnes, but call me Bucky," he said, shaking her hand. He looked at the grocery bags in her cart. "Do you need any help with those?"

"Oh uh thank you, that'd be great," Tracey said. She took Annabeth's hand and started to push the cart out of the store. "Thank you again for taking care of Annabeth."

"It's no problem at all. I couldn't just let little girl be lost, now could I?" he said, smirking at the blonde woman.

"Where the hell have you been?"

The three looked up to see a dark haired man standing outside of a car, glaring at them. Bucky looked down and saw Annabeth hide behind her mom's leg. His brow furrowed as he watched Tracey slowly approach the man.

"You said you were only getting a few things! That took a lot longer than it should have," the man yelled at her.

"Annabeth got lost, calm down, Dave," Tracey said, opening the trunk of the car and loading the groceries in.

"She got lost?" he exclaimed. He turned his glare down to the little brunette. "You were told to stay by your mom!"

"Hey!" Bucky yelled, stepping forward when he saw Annabeth cower away from him. "Don't yell at her like that. She's back now isn't she?"

"And who the fuck are you?" Dave yelled, glaring at Bucky.

"I'm the man who found her," Bucky said, glaring at him. "And I take it you're her dad?"

"Yeah, and I think you should get away from my family," Dave spat. "Now!"

Bucky stood his ground, glaring at the so called father before he turned to leave. But not before taking one last look at Tracey and Annabeth. The blonde woman gave him a small smile as she ushered Annabeth into the car. The little girl waved sadly at him as he walked away. He didn't want to leave them with that man. But what could he do?

ooOOoo

"I thought I told you not to talk to other men when I'm not around!" Dave yelled.

"You did and I'm sorry that he found our daughter!" Tracey yelled back. "Maybe if you were in there helping me with shopping she wouldn't have gotten lost!"

"You have eyes! You're capable of watching the little brat!" the man yelled.

"Do not call her a brat! She's your daughter! You're supposed to love her!"

"I never said I wanted a daughter! She's a mistake!"

"How dare you call her that!" Tracey screamed, pointing a finger at him. "Annabeth isn't a mistake! You have no right to call he-"

Tracey's head jerked to the side and the left side of her face was on fire. She looked up at Dave and saw him glaring at her, hand raised.

"Don't talk to me like that unless you want me to hit you again," he warned.

Tracey glared. "It's not like you haven't done it before!" She gasped as his hand came across her face again. "You're an asshole…" she hissed.

He grabbed her hair and pulled her close to him. "I'd stop if I were you. You're lucky I'm letting you stay here."

"We're married. You're supposed to live together when you're married. But I'm starting to think this was a mistake," she growled. "I should have listened to my brother and left you when I had the chance."

"Bitch!" Dave spat, shoving her to the floor. "You're lucky I married you! Who would want to marry you?"

"Mommy? Daddy?"

"Oh great, the brat's here!" Dave groaned.

"Annabeth, go to your room," Tracey said, slowly standing up. "Please."

"No, have her stay here. She needs to be punished for disobeying us. She knows to stay near you at the store," Dave said, taking a step near the little girl.

"NO!" Tracey screamed, grabbing Dave's arm and pulling him down. "Stay away from my daughter!"

"She's our daughter you bitch!" Dave said, throwing her to the ground. "And she needs to learn a lesson!"

"Annabeth, run!"

Annabeth stared wide eyed at her parents. Tears were at the edge of her eyes as she stared at her dad. They moved to her mom on the ground. The look of fear in her mom's eyes scared her. But what scared her more was her dad approaching her. She took off.

"Get back here you little brat!" Dave shouted only to be held back by Tracey again.

Annabeth ran, tears streaming down her face. She ran along the sidewalk, oblivious to the people looking at her. She didn't care if it was dark out and scary. She didn't care if there were strangers everywhere. She needed to get help for her mommy.

"Whoa!" a voice said when she ran into someone. "Annabeth?"

The little girl looked up and saw Bucky standing in front of her. Her eyes were wide and she grabbed his leg, sobbing.

"Annabeth, sweetheart, what are you doing out here by yourself? It's late," Bucky said, kneeling down to her level.

"Mommy and Daddy are fighting," she whimpered out. "Mommy's being hurt. She ne-needs help."

"What?" Bucky exclaimed. "Where do you live Annabeth?" he asked, picking her up. His brow was furrowed and he began running when the little girl pointed down the street. He shoved his way past people, ignoring the calls and complaints from them. He held the little girl to him tightly as she held onto him for dear life. What was going on in that household?

"Stop!" Annabeth shouted. "In there!"

Bucky didn't waste a second as he rushed up the steps and practically kicked the door down. Inside he found Tracey doing her best to protect herself from an enraged Dave.

"Oh for the love of Christ!" the man exclaimed. "What the fuck are you doing here?" His eyes landed on Annabeth as Bucky placed her on the ground. "Good, you're back you little brat."

Annabeth let out a squeak when she saw her dad take a step towards her, but Bucky stepped in front of her.

"Stay away from her," he growled.

"You're not her dad," Dave said, taking a step towards the other man.

"And you are? You may be her dad, but the way you're acting you don't deserve that title."

Dave scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Like I want to be that brat's dad. She's a mistake. My stupid wife doesn't even realize this."

Bucky's eyes narrowed and he swung a fist. He punched the so called dad and husband square in the face and watched as he fell to the floor. "Don't you dare talk about your family like that. You're lucky to even have them," he said, standing over the man.

"Mommy!" Annabeth cried out as she ran over to her mom.

Tracey quickly enveloped her daughter in a hug, holding her close to her as silent tears fell down her face. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. I'm so sorry."

"Are you okay, Mommy?" Annabeth asked, staring up at her.

"I'm fine, sweetie, don't worry about me," Tracey said, doing her best to put a smile on her face. She looked up when she saw a hand in front of her.

"Are you alright?" he asked her as he helped her up.

"I'm fine, really."

"I can tell that's a load of bull," Bucky said, shaking his head. "Come on, I'll take you to my place. You'll be safe there. I'm going to report him to the police. You won't be bothered by him anymore."

Tracey stared at the dark haired man in front of her, mouth slightly open and eyes wide in curiosity. "Why are you helping us? You don't even know us?"

"Because I know you're good people and no one deserves to be treated the way you were," Bucky said, leading the two out of the house.

The mother nodded as she carried Annabeth in her arms. "Thank you, Bucky."

"Of course, Tracey."

**Okay this was something that popped in my head when I saw a random prompt on tumblr. I couldn't resist. And sadly yes in this AU Annabeth is Dave's daughter. Only time that will ever happen I will tell you that.**

**If you'd like to ask the Avengers, Madison twins, and anyone else in the tower any questions, hit me up on tumblr. If you have a prompt for Life at the Tower/AUs feel free to message me on tumblr, here, or leave it in a review.**

**Thank you for the support everyone!**


	14. Chapter 14

Tracey looked up and down the hall as she peeked out of her room. So far no one was around. She didn't see any servants or guards. The coast was clear. She sighed, smiling as she stepped out.

"Hold it!"

She froze, eyes wide as she turned around to the source of the voice. She sighed once more and glared at the blonde woman in front of her.

"Seriously, Sharon!" she hissed. "You gave me a heart attack."

"Well I wouldn't be stopping you if you weren't dressed like that," Sharon said, waving a hand up and down as she gestured at the maroon dress she was wearing.

"What's wrong with my dress?" Tracey asked, crossing her arms.

"Well for starters you look like a princess." The maid held up a hand, stopping the other woman from speaking. "Yes, I know you're a princess. What I mean is if you're going to sneak out to see Bucky you're going to have to not look like a princess. You'll be spotted right away."

"Who said I was going to see Bucky?" the princess mumbled, glancing away from her maid and friend.

Sharon stared at her, eyebrow raised. "Really?"

"Okay, fine! I'm going to see Bucky," Tracey huffed, throwing her hands in the air. "Please don't tell my mom and dad! I'd be locked in my room for weeks if they found out."

"Which is why I'm helping you," Sharon said, grinning brightly when she held out a dress.

Tracey looked it over and smiled brightly. It was a servant's dress. One of Sharon's extra clothes. The blonde princess jumped on her friend, hugging her tightly. "Thank you, Sharon!"

"Don't mention it. Just hurry up and change and I'll take you through the servant's quarters," she said, pushing her friend back into her room.

ooOOoo

She stood there, pulling the cloak tighter around her body. The wind was blowing around her and rustled the leaves in the trees. It was quiet, except for the occasional bird tweeting about. Tracey looked around, but her face fell when there was no sign of anyone.

She pulled the cloak again and took a step to leave when she felt someone grab her sides. She let out a piercing scream as she jumped in the air. She whipped around to see a laughing brunet man. She glared and smacked his arm.

"Bucky! That wasn't funny!"

"Oh come on, darling," Bucky said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to him. "It was pretty funny."

"You're a pain," she said, rolling her eyes.

The man only grinned and leaned his head down and kissed her. "You love me."

"I do," she said, blushing lightly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Unfortunately."

"Who would have thought that a princess would be in love with me," he said, smiling down at her. "I must be pretty good looking if that's happening."

"Oh don't get a big head," she said, pushing him away. "You're not that good looking."

"Hmm, if I recall yesterday you were telling me about how much you loved my eyes, smile, need I go on?" he asked, a shit eating grin on his face as a pout grew on the blonde's face. He kissed her. "You're adorable."

"Oh be quiet," she said. "Stop!" she squealed when he tickled her sides. "You're such a pain!"

"Do we have to go through this again?" he asked, kissing her neck. "Because I don't mind proving that you think I'm good looking again. Or we can go to that meadow we found the other day."

"The meadow sounds good," Tracey said, grinning up at him.

"Well then, let me escort you there m'lady," he said, holding his hand out for her. He grinned and grabbed her hand when she reached out to link arms. He pulled her along, smiling brightly as she laughed as they ran through the forest.

ooOOoo

"You're beautiful," Bucky said, as he laid next to Tracey with his body looming over hers. He ran his fingers across her forehead as he brushed a blonde lock out of the way. He smiled down at her as he looked into her brown eyes. His eyes glanced from her eyes down to her lips. Leaning down he brushed his lips against hers. "I love you, Tracey."

The princess's hands made their way around his neck and into his hair as she smiled up at him. "I love you too, Bucky."

Bucky smiled and pressed his lips to hers again, wrapping his arms around her. He grinned against her lips when he felt her hands trace his chest. "Getting antsy, princess?" he chuckled.

Tracey chewed her cheek as her cheeks turned pink. "Shut up, Barnes."

The pauper grinned at her and reached down, grabbing the hem of his shirt. He chuckled when he saw Tracey's face turn pink when he took it off. The chuckling continued, but with a smirk added, when he caught her eyes lingering on his stomach. "Like what you see?" he asked, raising a brow.

Tracey huffed and craned her neck to give him a kiss. "Shut u-"

"Shut up, Barnes. I know I know," Bucky said, running his nose along her neck. He placed a kiss at her pulse point. "You don't like me talking apparently."

"No," Tracey said, kissing his cheek. "I love it when you talk to me. You're one of the few people who make me feel like a real person and not royalty." She giggled when he placed a kiss at her collar bone.

"Yeah," he said. He kissed her lips one more time before he leaned on his elbows to get a better look at her. "Being royalty must get old fast," he said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Bucky, I didn't mean anything against you," Tracey said, quickly eyes going wide. She glared at him when he began to laugh.

"I'm only messing with you," he said, kissing her nose. "What don't you like about being a royal?"

The blonde princess's face grew solemn, her eyes glancing to the grass next to and around them. She took a deep breath, afraid of what the man with her would think. "I'm betrothed to a prince I've never met."

Bucky nodded, pursing his lips. "I know."

"You know?" Tracey exclaimed, her eyes going wide. "How?"

"Steve told me."

"Of course." Tracey sighed, staring up at the man she loved with sad eyes. "I don't want to marry him, Bucky. I want to be with you. You and only you."

"That explains why you're so antsy," he said, a toothy smirk gracing his features. He leaned down closer to her, running his hands along her sides. "Do you mean it when you say you only want me?"

"Yes," Tracey whispered, her stomach fluttering as his hands began to roam her sides and back.

"Good," the dark haired man said, kissing her lightly. "Because I only want you as well." He grinned as she smiled up at him and moved over so he was straddling her waist. "I love you with my entire being. I don't have much, but I would give you the world if I could."

"As long as I'm with you I'm happy," she said, looping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer to her.

They froze, inches away from lips touching, when they heard horses galloping. It was getting closer and closer, the rhythmic thumps of their hooves against the ground. Bucky scrambled off of Tracey, grabbing his shirt and her hand to pull her up in the process. Their eyes widened when they saw two royal guards ride up to them.

"Steve! Coulson!" Bucky said, greeting the two with a large smile. "How are you two?"

"Save it, Barnes," Coulson said, jumping off his horse. He stood in front of the younger man and eyed the princess next to him then the man himself. "It's a bit cold don't you think?" he asked, raising a brow at the shirt in his hands.

Bucky pursed his lips in a tiny, amused smile as he shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Are you cold?" He held out his shirt. "Do you want to borrow my shirt?"

"Hilarious." Coulson turned to the blonde female. "Your Majesty, you need to come back with us. Your parents request your presence. Prince Dave has arrived."

Tracey's eyes widened and her heart sank. She quickly stowed her emotions away and nodded her head with a small smile. "Of course." She stepped around the pauper, brushing her hand against his as she walked by.

Bucky stared at her as she climbed onto the horse behind Steve. The brunet man made eye contact with the blond guard. He pursed his lips as he nodded at the guard before they rode off. His face fell as he watched her go. Go and get married to another man. That man never being him.

ooOOoo

"Are you enjoying the party?" Dave whispered in Tracey's ear as they greeted guests in the hall. He placed a hand around her waist, pulling her close to him. "Be sure to smile. I don't want a queen who looks like she's at a funeral every day."

"Oh I'm so sorry," Tracey spat. "I'll be sure to look happy for you every day."

Dave frowned at the princess. He squeezed her side causing her to let out a small squeak of pain. "I'd watch it if I were you."

Tracey frowned at the ground. Ever since meeting Dave it has been nothing but horrible. The prince is, for lack of better words, an asshole. Since they were alone he treated her like nothing. Like dirt. He put her down. Criticized her on everything. The way she dressed. The way she ate. And now the way she looked. She hated him already.

"Excuse me," she said, slipping out of his hold. "I need some fresh air."

"Good, it might do you some good," Dave scoffed as he walked over to some of his kingdom's guards.

Outside the cool wind blew against her face. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath of the fresh, cold air. Looking up the stars twinkled in the nearly black sky and the pale moon floated overhead. Turning her gaze downward she could see the tree line to the forest a few yards away from the castle walls. The forest where she first met Bucky. She had snuck out of the palace in desperate need of time to herself. She had been walking through the trees for a while realizing she was lost. It wasn't until she came upon a meadow with a young man lying among the wild flowers. She had been startled by the sight, not expecting to see anyone out here. But the way he offered to help her, how he treated her like a person, she was happy. Granted he didn't realize she was the princess until they reached outside of the forest and Steve happened to be riding by. Even after finding out the truth, Bucky didn't look at her any differently.

Oh how she wished she was in that meadow right now, lying next to her dark haired pauper as they gazed up at the stars.

"You okay?"

Tracey turned around and smiled when she saw her brother walking out onto the balcony with her. "Hi, Barry."

"I'm going to take a guess that you don't like Dave and that you wish you were with Bucky," the male twin said, smiling brightly at his sister.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked, rolling her eyes as she leaned against the railing.

"Yes. Plus the smile you've been wearing all night has been force. It's never forced when you greet new people. But it happened right after you met Dave. Just so you know, I don't like him either. He's pompous and arrogant and I want to punch him in the face."

"Oh thank the lord!" Tracey exclaimed, placing a hand over her heart. "I'm not the only one!"

Barry grinned as he watched his sister look down at the forest again. He nudged her arm with his elbow and smirked at her. "Want to go down there?"

"To the forest?" the female twin asked, raising a brow. She shook her head. "Barry, you know I can't. Especially not with the party going on."

"I don't care. I'm helping you run away," he said, a mischievous smile growing on his face.

"What do you mean?"

"Sharon has a bag of clothes waiting for you in your room. Steve is going to help you get out of the castle walls. Everything will work out if you just follow my lead," he said, taking her arm and looping it through his. "Look ill," he whispered before they exited the balcony.

The two walked back into the party, Barry leading the way out of the room. He told Coulson to tell their parents that Tracey wasn't feeling well and proceeded to take Tracey through the castle and to her room. Outside the door he smiled and gave his sister a hug.

"Good luck. I love you, Trace."

Tears pricked at the corners of Tracey's eyes as she smiled up at her twin brother. She flung her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. "Thank you. I love you too, Barry. I'll miss you."

ooOOoo

The scene was all too familiar. Tracey standing outside the forest line. Pulling her cloak tightly around her as the wind blew. The leaves rustling as the night air moved about. Only this time instead of birds chirping an owl hooted overhead. And then there was Steve standing with her.

She looked up at the guard. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because Bucky is my best friend. Before I was a guard for your family he and I grew up together. I just happened to come here. He didn't want that life so he stayed behind. I want him to be happy and I want you to be happy. You're both my friends. I may serve your parents, but I'm doing this because I care about you two and I believe it's the right thing."

Tracey smiled and quickly hugged the guard. "Thank you, Steve."

"At your service, Tracey," he said, hugging her back and repeating the goofy line he would always say to her whenever she thanked him.

"I hope you're not stealing her from me," Bucky said, walking up the two. He grinned widely as he neared them and broke out into a run. Reaching Tracey he grabbed her and spun her in the air. "My lord," he breathed as he set her down, "I'm so glad to see you again." He turned to Steve and smiled at him. "Thank you, Steve."

"Get over here," the blond guard said, pulling his best friend into a hug. "You take care of her, do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir," Bucky said, a mock serious expression on his face as he saluted. He watched as his best friend jumped onto the back of his horse and rode off to the castle before he turned to the blonde woman next to him. He grabbed her face and smashed his lips onto hers. "I love you, Tracey."

"I love you too, Bucky," she said, practically jumping on him in her excitement as she kissed him again.

She was beyond happy. She was with her pauper and she was going to be happy. She was going to live a life without being expected to be a certain way every day. And she was going to spend it with the man she loved.

**Thank you to the anon for the prompt and I'm so so so sorry that it took me so long to write this! I loved the prompt, truly, but I couldn't figure out how I wanted it to play out. Then I saw the gif of Sebastian Stan from Gossip Girl where he's picking up his shirt and I'm like, I'm gonna work with this and incorporate this into this story somehow. Anyways I hope you liked it!**

**If you'd like to ask the Avengers, Madison twins, and anyone else in the tower like Rhodey, Pepper, Sharon, Darcy, Jane, and Betty, feel free to leave a message on my tumblr.** **Also if you have any prompts for Life at the Tower/AUs, feel free to message me on tumblr, PM me here, or leave it in a review.**

**My tumblr is winter-is-ending**

**Thank you for the love you guys!**


	15. Chapter 15

Tracey watched as her stepmother and step sisters rode off in their carriage to the castle. She sighed and looked at the lit up building off in the distance. The ball was in full swing. She could tell. And she wished she could be there. She turned around and looked at her twin brother, who had the same saddened look that she did. She sighed once more and walked back into the house where the numerous chores awaited for them.

"I just wanted to go," Tracey said, throwing her hands in the air and bringing them back to her sides before she grabbed the broom. "Was that too hard to ask?"

"I know, Trace," Barry said, grabbing the dust rag off the floor. "But what can we do? Those three made sure we wouldn't get to go and you know it. Even if we finished the chores they would have come up with some other reason as to why we couldn't go."

"Let's just get this stuff done. Maybe we can actually get some sleep then," she said, glaring at the ground as she began to sweep.

"Well this won't do," came a male voice from behind the twins.

The brother and sister whipped around in alarm at the unknown visitor and found a grey haired man sitting at the kitchen table. Barry stepped in front of his sister, blocking the stranger from her.

"Who are you?" the male twin asked, glaring at the man.

"A friend," the man spoke, smiling up at them. "Don't worry. I'm here to help you. You want to get to the ball don't you?"

"You can get us there?" Tracey asked, taking a step out from behind her brother.

"I can let you go to the ball. The proper clothing and all," the man said.

"Who are you?" Barry repeated.

"You can just call me Pierce," the man said, the smile still on his face.

"Okay, Pierce," Barry said, still eyeing the man, despite the friendly look on his face, "what's the catch?"

"I knew you'd be smart," Pierce chuckled. "I only ask for something in exchange," he said. "Nothing much."

"That's it?" Barry said, raising a brow.

"What do you want?"

"Oh I don't know," Pierce said, putting a hand under his chin. "How about your first born child?"

"My first born child?" Tracey repeated. "Why would I do that? A human isn't something you use for trade."

"Well if you don't want to go to the ball, then I guess I'll just go," Pierce said, standing up from the chair he was sitting in.

"No wait!" Tracey said, eyes pleading as she reached a hand out. She stared at the man for a second as he turned back around. "Okay," she said in a hushed, defeated voice.

"Tracey," Barry said, putting a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I only need one of your first born,' Pierce spoke up. "One of you can offer to take the price."

"Barry, let me do it," Tracey said. "I don't want you to take away your chance of starting a family with someone one day."

"But what about you?"

"I'll be fine," she said, giving him a small smile. She turned back to Pierce and blinked when she saw him holding a contract and quill out to her. She reached out and took the quill. In a quick motion she signed her name, quick so she didn't change her mind at the last second.

"Perfect," Pierce said.

Snapping his fingers, the contract disappeared in a cloud of smoke that took the twins aback. He smiled at them and snapped his fingers again. The cloud surrounded them and once it cleared they stared at the other in awe. Tracey stared at the blue uniform Barry was wearing. It reminded her of the clothes the nobles and royals wore. Barry stared at the golden dress that Tracey was wearing.

"You look beautiful, Trace," he said, smiling at her.

"You look amazing, Barry," she said, a grin on her face.

"Yes, yes, you both look dashing," Pierce said. "Remember, you must be back before midnight. The magic will wear off then. Goodbye," he said, snapping his fingers once more and the twins disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

ooOOoo

Tracey rushed around the room, pulling things out of the dresser and into a bag. She sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes as she continued with her packing. So much had happened in the last few months. First the encounter with Pierce who let her and Barry go the ball. Then there was the ball. There she had met the prince (much to her surprise). Then the prince had made a kingdom wide search for her when she had run off, thank God for that one slipper she lost. They had married after that. She couldn't have been happier. But then there was the news that she was pregnant. She and the prince were overjoyed, but that was when she remembered Pierce and his deal. Her heart sank. She was going to lose her first born child.

"Hello, darling," came a voice from behind her.

Tracey felt arms wrap around her waist and a pair of lips kiss her cheek. She smiled lightly and placed her hands on the arms around her. She leaned into the person behind her and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, keeping the tears from coming. She loved Bucky, but what would he say to the thought of them losing their child?

Bucky frowned when Tracey didn't say anything. He leaned his head around to get a better look at her. "Tracey, darling, what's wrong?"

"No-nothing," she said, making sure he couldn't see her face.

The prince stepped around his wife and looked at her, taking her hands in his. "Tracey, what's wrong? You're being too quiet." He turned his head and looked at the bag on their bed. "What are you doing?"

The princess bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes. She shook her head. "I have to go…"

"Go?" Bucky exclaimed, eyes growing wide. "No," he said, shaking his head furiously, "no, what do you mean you're going?"

"I can't stay here," was all Tracey said as she continued packing.

Bucky grabbed her hand, stopping her from putting another piece of clothing into the bag. He looked at her, holding her hand to him as he stared at her with concern and sad eyes. "Tracey, what happened? Something had to happen that you are running away. Whatever it is, I can help. Please, let me help."

The princess pursed her lips as she felt more tears stinging at her eyes. She shook her head and looked down at their feet. "Do you remember how I told you about the night we met? How I was able to go to the ball?"

"Of course," the prince said, nodding his head. "You said someone helped you and your brother."

"Yes, and they were a man named Pierce…"

Bucky's eyes widened. "Pierce? No no no, Tracey no!'

Tracey eyes widened as she watched her husband shake his head frantically. "I-I'm sorry!" she cried out, taking a step back.

"Tracey, that man has been trying to take our kingdom for years!" the prince said, letting her hand go and pacing around the room, running his hand through his hair. "What did he ask for?" He stared at her as she stared back with wide eyes, staying silent. "Tracey, what did he ask for?" he demanded. "That' man never gives something without asking for something in return! What did he ask for?"

The blonde's bottom lip began to tremble along with her legs. She placed a hand on the dresser behind her, trying to keep herself balanced. She stared at her husband with tear filled eyes and slowly placed her hand on her stomach. Her heart fell when she saw the look on his face. A look of hurt and horror.

"Our baby?" he whispered. "He wants our baby?"

"I'm so sorry, Bucky! I didn't know I'd ever marry when I signed. My brother tried to take my place, but I didn't want it him to lose his child. I didn't know I'd meet you let alone get married. I'm so sorry!" she said, tears falling down her face. She slowly sat down on the floor, holding her head in her hands. "I'm so sorry, Bucky…"

Bucky shook his head and knelt down in front of his wife. He took her in his arms and began rocking her as he stroked her hair. "We'll figure something out, I promise. Tracey, we'll get rid of him and we'll keep our child. Everything is going to be okay."

ooOOoo

The wind blew around her, chilling her skin as she stood in the garden. She pulled the cloak tighter around her body and placed a hand on her stomach. Her heart was beating quickly as she waited. She was terrified. She prayed this plan worked and their child would be safe.

"Now I don't think that it's good for your health to be standing out here in the cold."

Tracey whipped around and stared wide eyed at the grey haired man standing behind her. She took a small step back when he walked up to her. Her stomach churned when he placed a hand on her stomach.

"I see our deal is going to come full swing then," he said, a smile curling at his lips.

"Yes, but I want to make another deal with you," Tracey said, speaking calmly and steadily. "Our kingdom is losing crops. The soil is barren and isn't allowing crops to grow. We are running low and need help."

"And you want me to help with that?" Pierce said, clicking his tongue. "We already made the deal, dear. You going to the ball for your first born."

"I know, but I found out that I'm having twins…"

Pierce's eyes lit up and the smile grew on his face. "Twins? And you want to give me the second in exchange for your kingdom's crops to grow again? But it's your child."

"I can always have another," she said with a shrug. "But we need the crops to feed our people and ourselves." She pulled a scroll from her cloak along with a quill and held it out to the man. "Please? We need your help."

"Yes yes, let's get this over with," the older man said, grabbing the quill and quickly signing the new contract. In seconds he was frozen, hand in midair where he was signing. His brow furrowed and he glared at the blonde who was quickly backing away. "You tricked me? You think you could stop me?" he yelled. "Your pathetic kingdom needs me to thrive!"

"We're doing just fine," Bucky said, pointing a sword at the man as he walked up next to his wife. He placed an arm around her, pulling her close to him as she glared at the frozen man. "Now I want you to leave me and my family alone…" he growled.

"And why would I do that?" Pierce scoffed.

"We'll let you go," Bucky said, glaring at the man. "You leave us alone and we will let you free."

"Or…" Pierce said, his eyes glowing for a split second. "You can let me go and I'll let your wife go."

"What?" Bucky said, glaring at him. He turned quickly to look at his wife when he heard a thud next to him. Tracey was unconscious on the ground. "Tracey!" he exclaimed as he knelt down next to her. He shook her shoulder and lightly tapped her cheek. "Tracey, darling, wake up." He quickly turned to face the man in front of him, never leaving his wife's side. "What did you do to her?" he yelled.

"Calm yourself, your majesty," Pierce said, practically spitting the title towards the man. "She's just asleep. But she will remain that way if you think you can trick me as you did."

"Let her go!" Bucky screamed, storming to the man and holding the sword at his throat.

Pierce smirked and rolled his eyes. "Let me go then."

"You still plan on taking my child, don't you?" the prince said slowly, his stare turning hard.

"Your wife made a deal with me," Pierce grinned.

Bucky remained silent, keeping the sword at the man's throat. He looked down at his wife as she laid there motionless. His heart fell. He'd either lose both his wife and child or just his child… He closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

"Take me instead," he said, never taking his eyes off his wife.

"What?" Pierce said, a large smile growing on his face.

"Take me instead of my child," Bucky demanded, turning to glare at the man once more. "Let my wife and child go, but take me in their place."

"Done!" Pierce said, his eyes glowing again.

Bucky turned around at the sound of Tracey groaning as she slowly woke up. He rushed over to her, kneeling back down and taking her in his arms. He ran his hands over her face as she stared up at him, trying to figure out what had happened. He kissed her repeatedly, tears stinging his eyes as he continuously said sorry. He held her to him, stroking her hair, still apologizing. He kissed her once more once he helped her up.

"I'm so sorry, darling," he whispered.

"Bucky, what's going on?" she asked, her heart pounding as she stared at her husband as he continued to apologize.

"I'm so sorry, Tracey," he said, hugging her again. He kissed her head and then her lips. "I love you so much. Don't ever forget that. I love you."

"Bucky!" Tracey exclaimed, tears slipping down her face. "What's going on?"

"Your husband took your child's place," Pierce said, grinning behind the couple. "Let's get going, your majesty," the man said, the grin never leaving his features. "Now, soldier."

"No, no," Tracey said, slowly shaking her head. It gradually grew to her shaking it furiously. "No! Bucky! You can't go!"

"I'm sorry, Tracey. I want our baby to its best chance," he said, kissing her forehead and then her lips. "I love you and our child so much. With all my heart."

"No!" Tracey said, holding onto him with all her might. She gasped when he disappeared in thin air. She looked around frantically. "Bucky!" She turned and stormed up to the man. "You! Where is he?"

"Somewhere," Pierce said with a smile. "I asked for your child, but I got your husband. The prince. He'll help me gain control of your little kingdom. It was nice doing business with you, your majesty," Pierce said before disappearing as well.

"No!" Tracey screamed, falling to her knees. "Pierce, please! No! No!"

"Tracey!" a knight called out, running up to the princess. "Tracey, what's wrong? Where did Bucky go?"

"He-he's gone, Steve," she cried.

"What? No. What happened to the plan?" Steve asked.

"Bucky took our child's place. I'm-I'm not sure what happened, bu-but the plan failed…" Tracey said, burying her face in the knight's shoulder.

"We'll get him back, Tracey. I promise. We will get him back," Steve said, hugging her and rubbing her back. He glared up at the sky. They were going to get Pierce. They were going to get Bucky back.

**Thank you to the anon for the prompt. They asked for Cinderella OUAT prompt and I did my best to recreate it, but I didn't want to do the full episode so I just cut it up and used the more important parts. I also changed it up a bit as you can tell. And to those who haven't seen Once Upon a Time, you NEED to. I LOVE that show! This is basically what happened in the episode to some extent. Hope you guys liked it. **

**If you'd like to ask the Avengers, Madison twins, and anyone else in the tower any questions, feel free to leave me a message on my tumblr. If you have a prompt, AU or non-AU, feel free to message me on tumblr, PM me here or leave it in a review. **

**My tumblr is winter-is-ending**

**Thank you for the support! You guys are amazing!**


	16. Chapter 16

She walked out of the bathroom, wringing her hair out with an old T-shirt. She stopped in the middle of the room as she tossed her hair over her shoulder and threw the shirt on a chair in the corner of the room. She switched her towel out for a pair of shorts and short sleeved shirt. She grabbed a book from the bookshelf and headed out to the kitchen where she began to fix some tea. A chilled wind blew across her bare legs, making her shiver in her spot. She looked around and saw the living room window open.

"Really?" she groaned as she padded over to the window.

She pushed the pane down and rubbed her arms as she tried to circulate some heat in them. Turning around she headed back to the kitchen only to stop. She nearly screamed when she felt a pair of hands grab her waist. She whirled around and glared up at the man who was smirking down at her.

"Bucky!" she hissed. "Do you have to do that every time?"

"It's funny watching you jump around," the dark haired man said, his smirk growing into a grin when the woman punched his right arm. He grabbed it in his left, his metal hand send chills through her arm. He lifted her hand up to his lips and placed a light kiss to it. "I missed you."

"You've been gone for nearly a week. Where have you been?" the woman asked, staring up at Bucky.

He looked down at her hand in his, a frown tugging at his lips. "It was work."

"Do you ever sleep?" she asked, raising a brow.

Another frown pulled at his lips. Did he ever sleep? Of course. In a cryotube though. He was frozen after almost ever mission. Sometimes he got a break where he got to stay out of cryo for a few days. Sometimes a week. Which he was hoping for now. He looked down at the woman in front of him, staring into her beautiful brown eyes. He wasn't going to tell her about how he rested. She never knew about the cryotube. She believed he was always out on missions.

He smiled down at her and pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her. "Well I'm here aren't I?" he asked, placing a kiss on her lips.

"Mmm, true," the woman said with a smile.

They stared at each other, standing there in the middle of the room. Bucky tucked a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear, still staring into her eyes. He loved the way they shone in the dim light from the lamp in the corner of the room.

He smiled. "I love you, Tracey."

The blonde woman's smile grew a bit more and a hint of pink dusted her cheeks. She leaned up on her toes and kissed him. "I love you too, Bucky."

"How do you put up with me?" he asked, his face falling to a solemn expression. "I'm a wreck. I didn't even know who I was until I met you. All I remember is violence and pain. You've given me my name and so much more."

"Because no matter what you do, I can tell you're a good man. Even now you're worrying about your work and how I see you," Tracey said, placing a hand on his cheek. "You're a good man, Bucky. I love you as you."

Bucky sighed and smiled, shaking his head. "You're too good for me," he said as he brushed his lips against hers.

ooOOoo

He laid there, staring up at the ceiling. It was dark and quiet. The only sound was faint and coming from cars outside and below the apartment; the hum of the air conditioning. He hated the cold, but it was a pretty hot summer night, he guessed he could deal with the air blowing on him from the vent. He shifted his eyes to the woman lying next to him. A smile tugged at his lips. She was currently curled up with the blankets at her legs and her face buried in her pillow. He reached his flesh hand out and traced his fingers along her bare back. He watched as goose bumps formed on her skin, resulting in her curling up further into a ball. Subconsciously she moved closer to him, grabbing a hold of his waist. He chuckled and grabbed the blanket and pulled it over their naked bodies. He pulled her into his arms and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you, doll," he whispered.

"I love you too, Sergeant," came the soft and quiet reply from Tracey.

Bucky blinked and shook his head. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

The blonde shook her head. "No, I can't sleep."

"Why not? What's wrong, darling?"

Tracey stayed silent and traced her fingers along the scars where his metal arm fused with his skin. "Because I know you'll be gone in the morning…"

"Tracey…" Bucky sighed. He kissed the top of her head. "I don't want to go, but I have to or else they will find out about us."

"Why can't you leave?" the woman argued. "You're able to meet up with me without them knowing. Why can't you get away from them?"

"Because they will find me. They will find us and they will hurt you if they do. I can't let that happen to you, Tracey."

The blonde stayed silent and stared at the dark haired man's metal arm, a sad look growing on her face. She nodded her head, slowly. "I understand."

"I'm sorry, Trace. I really am. I want to be with you, but I can't let them get to you," Bucky said, running a hand across her cheek. He placed a kiss on her lips. "I'm sorry."

ooOOoo

The Winter Soldier walked down the hall of the Hydra base. Boots pounding a steady rhythm into the floor as he did. His brow was slightly furrowed, furrowed in its usual stern and blank expression as he always had when he was at work. Never show emotions. It made him weak in front of them and it made him forced into that chair again. He didn't want to do it again. He hadn't been put in the chair in a long time. Not since before he met Tracey. She was the one who had reminded him of who he was long ago. She was the one who made him feel again.

Tracey.

He couldn't afford to let them know about her. They'd put him in the chair and make sure he'd never remember her. They'd go after her and make sure she'd never see him again. He couldn't let that happen.

"Winter Soldier."

The soldier turned around and stood taller when he saw Alexander Pierce heading his way. There was a hard expression on the older man's face. That didn't mean anything good when he looked like that.

"Sir?" the soldier said, as his boss was closer.

"Follow me," was all the man said as he walked past the asset.

Bucky did as he was told and was soon in Pierce's office. He watched as the older man sat down at his desk, remaining silent as he stared him down. The soldier had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"How long?"

Bucky blinked. "Sir?"

"How long have you been seeing her?" Pierce asked, his brow furrowing.

Bucky's heart skipped a beat. No. How did he know? He kept his face placid, void of any emotion. He couldn't let Pierce know that he knew what he was talking about. "I don't know what you mean, sir," he said in his usual monotone voice.

Pierce's brow furrowed even more and he stood up abruptly. Next thing the soldier knew there was a searing pain on his face as his head jerked to the side. He turned back to his boss and saw anger shrouding his eyes.

"How long have you been seeing her? And don't play dumb?" Pierce yelled.

The soldier's heart seized. He knew.

"Did you think I wouldn't find out about that whore?"

Anger was boiling in the soldier. He wanted to punch this man for calling her that. Tracey was anything, but that! But he had to remain calm. He couldn't attack or he'd be put in the chair. He couldn't let him know that he knew her. He'd be put in the chair. This was a losing battle though.

"I don't know who you're talking about," he said monotone again.

Another slap.

"Don't you play dumb, soldier! I know you've been seeing that girl for some time now! Did you think I wouldn't find out?" Pierce yelled. He stared at the soldier, eyes glaring at him. "Do you love her?"

Bucky remained silent. His heart was pounding and he couldn't find words. He didn't know what he could say to convince Pierce he didn't know what he was talking about. But if he stayed silent it would be all the answer the man needed. The soldier's fists were shaking, he could feel tears forming on the rim of his eyes.

"Yes…"

Another slap.

"You are a weapon! You are not to have feelings! You are to only be used for mission and kill! You are not allowed to love!" Pierce screamed. "She has made you weak! You are a weapon!"

Bucky remained silent, staring at the man in front of him. He couldn't have won. Say something and he would have found out. Stay silent and he would have found out. Tracey was now in danger because of him.

"You love her? Fine. Remember that love. I want you to remember every touch, every moment with that woman. You won't remember her soon," Pierce said, calmly, but with enough anger and venom. "And after that, when you remember that love years later, do you know what will happen?" Bucky remained silent. Pierce glared. "You will forget again. You won't see her again. Do you know why?" Silence. "You will kill her."

Bucky's heart stopped. This man wasn't going to send just anyone out there to kill Tracey, he was going to make him kill her! His heart beat faster and faster with each second. Tears were falling, slowly, but one by one down the soldier's face.

"You're a weapon. It's what you're good at," Pierce hissed before he left the office and left the soldier to himself.

Bucky stood there, tears falling down his face. Hurt, sadness, and anger coursed through him. He was mad at Pierce. But mostly he was mad at himself. He put Tracey in danger and it was his fault. And now she was going to die…at his hands…

ooOOoo

"You're welcome to stay here, Buck," Steve said, smiling at his best friend. "Tony won't care. There's plenty of rooms for you to move into. I have an extra room on my floor if you aren't comfortable staying by yourself yet. It'll be like old times," he said, patting Bucky on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Steve," Bucky said, smiling lightly.

It had been three months since the DC incident. After all that time, running around, trying to find out who he was, Bucky decided to find his "best friend" Steve. The man from the bridge. Memories of them as kids and growing up together had come back as he was wondering around DC. Now he was ready to be back with his best friend and try and get their friendship back together, along with his memories.

The memories themselves weren't always complete. He'd have a flashback to something and it would come and go just like that. Other times he'd have a full memory and would smile at them, or cry. It depended on what type of memory it was. But he mostly cried because he had forgotten so much. But he was with his best friend again and Steve was more than willing to help him get all his memories back.

"We've got you covered, Robo Cop!" Tony said, grinning at the super soldier. "Just don't cause too much of a mess. I already have enough people here who cause problems." He turned his head when he heard the elevator open and grinned. "Like Space Cadet over here!"

"Whatever it is I didn't do it, it was Clint," a light brown haired man said. He smiled when he looked over at Bucky and Steve. "Hey, I'm Barry Madison, nice to meet you," he said, sticking his hand out.

Bucky stared. Madison…Barry… Those names sounded familiar. And there was something about the man that seemed familiar. Images flashed through his head. Blonde hair. Shining brown eyes. A kind smile. Lingering kisses. Nights spent together…

His eyes widened and he took a slight step back.

"Bucky?" Steve asked, looking at his friend with worry. "What's wrong?"

"Uh…nothing. I just uh…remembered something…" he said quietly, keeping his eyes on the ground as he tried to pull the memory back. His hands clenched into fists. The memory slipped from his mind too quickly. Why couldn't he remember?

"Hey, Tenderfoot," Tony said, addressing Barry again. "Where's Mona Lisa. I need to give her something for the files."

"She's on her way up," Barry said. "Oh hey, here she is."

Everyone looked over at the elevator as someone walked off. Their face was buried in a laptop and all they could see was a head of blonde hair. Bucky stared, brow furrowed. Blonde hair…

"I got some files already, but the rest are a bit tougher to get," the woman said.

That voice. He remembered that voice. It was light and always had a bounce to it in a way.

His eyes widened when the woman looked up. They locked eyes and stood there. The blonde woman stared at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Tears were slowly forming in her eyes. Bucky could only stare, lost with words.

A smile grew on the woman's face. A teary, but happy smile. "Hiya, Sergeant."

**So yesterday I had created a gif set on my tumblr that was supposed to be a small story of what if it was the Winter Soldier and Tracey together. Kinda like how Nat and Bucky were together in the story until they were separated. I wanted to try my own hand at the story and here it is! I hope you liked it. **

**If you'd like to ask the Avengers, Madison twins, and anyone else in the tower any questions, feel free to leave me a message on my tumblr. If you have a prompt, AU or non-AU, leave a message on my tumblr, PM me here, or leave it in a review.**

**Thank you for the support! Your reviews make my day!**


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